Le souffle au coeur (1971)

Second viewing; first viewed, with cuts, on November 12, 1989.

English title: Murmur of the Heart

A few days (or is it months?) in the life of a 14-year-old boy. His somewhat brutish older brothers, his somewhat distant, unloving, father, his warm, but somewhat irresponsible mother, a health problem, books, a younger boy who seems to be a kindred spirit, a visit to the brothel, some days at a camp, some days at a hotel convalescing. His parents have steady lovers. Sex with his mother.

I had to watch this because I was curious about what I had missed on my first viewing -- it had cuts imposed by the Brazilian governmental censorship (censorship was no longer active in 1989, but the copy was from that earlier period). As it turns out, I don't quite remember what the cuts were, and in fact very little of the film as a whole stuck on my memory. But I remember having liked it more upon my previous viewing than I liked it now. It's a succession of quite banal events, wrapped up by a shocking last section. It is all played up in a light tone, however, and I guess that makes it a comedy of sorts. It is an odd combination of true-to-life chronicle and more, say, imaginative, elements. Perhaps it says more about 1971, the year in which  it was released, than about 1954, the year in which it is set.

Rating: 52 (down from 65)