Murmur of the Heart

Malle captured the atmosphere of adolescence and pubertal/hormonal confusion realistically and intuitively, which is definitely not easy and deserves recognition. Unfortunately, throughout the two-hour film, he hints at a variety of topics (especially the Oedipal relationship with the mother, the influence of the army and paramilitary environment - scouts - on adolescence during the French decolonization wars, strange relationships within the family...), which would be worth further exploration. However, the viewer does not get to see that, and Malle appears to me as a rather poor film psychologist. He “only” achieves a very skillful portrayal of adolescent adventures, complemented by a retro 50s feeling. The final scene with the whole family thus reaffirmed to me, in the context of the entire film, that I shouldn't look for any irony or ambiguity in it, but rather only a guide to understanding the film as a whole: understanding humor with insight towards the actions of the main character. (07/04/2014)

A controversial topic, yet presented in a human and not explicit way. I really like this about the movie. It shows that any subject can be tastefully handled and discussed if the author knows the limit and knows how far they can go without just resorting to shock value at all costs. Louis Malle obviously knew this. (13/08/2015)