How can one forget and how can one remember seeing this film? It's full of visual pleasure, romantic touches in French style, it's poetic yet so unreal: the way Elisa and Eric live, their reclusive friend Jacque, their 'virtual' work photography, the artificial plastic beauty of the decoration in the film setting, the music of Gabriel Fauré and Richard Wagner. All these create a passion climate, and nearly nothing is real. Some said Virginie Thévenet was inspired by Jean Cocteau's famous novel "Les Enfants Terribles". I gather that the only similarity may be the 'unreality'.
Actually, the story can take place at any time and any place because the two teenagers aren't confined by reality. "Reality", which is introduced by an American (the States is a country where people live and work practically, very 'down-to-earth') and consequently brings destruction to the sister and the brother, is a big menace to their living. The story ends that Elisa sadly swallowed the keepsake of hers and Eric's, and their once closed-and-unreal-but-happy world crumbled when she was falling down on the floor.
I could only remember half of the title (even erroneously 'artifacts') when I was struggling to track down information of this film, which I saw some twelve years ago in a small cine-house. I have tried to remember the name so hard for a couple of months and luckily this evening, *ding* the word 'jeux' flashed across my mind.
It's a sweet delight for young and imaginative minds. After my first viewing in 1991, the year I graduated from university, I was so enthralled by it: the story, the actors, the backdrop setting., it was lingering on my mind for quite a long while: picturing that I could live like Elisa and Eric without any family, finance or prospect cares, I could do whatever I desire like what they are doing. The first half can be a good escape. Yet, artifices cannot be used to making a decent living, especially those of games only, a game is a game.
If you are still young and carefree, do see this movie and try to associate it into cyber world, try to put it on stage of the playhouse, there should be lots of interesting outcomes. Possibly, motion-picture is also an artifice that brings along ephemeral pleasure and liberation to human souls.
