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Set in France in 1940 shortly before the country’s surrender to Germany, André Téchiné’s movie starts as a quiet portrayal of what it’s like to be a civilian when war breaks over your head. The camera picks out the main characters — widowed Odile (Emmanuelle Béart), her 13-year-old son (Grégoire Leprince-Ringuet), and her seven-year-old daughter (Clémence Meyer) — among a procession of refugees on the road. After the Germans strafe and bomb the refugees, Odile flees with her kids into the woods, where the three form an uncertain alliance with Yvan (Gaspard Ulliel), a mysterious youth who appears to be hiding from more than just the Germans. The short opening sequence proves the most disturbing part of the film. As Yvan and the family take shelter in an abandoned house, which is well stocked with wine ("a funny sort of prison," Odile remarks), Les égarés settles down to an absorbing session of psychosexual suspense, posing two main questions. Will Yvan be a good father figure for Odile’s son or a depraved one? And will Odile and Yvan become lovers? Téchiné’s skillful direction brings out both the sinister and the poignant aspects of the story. In French with English subtitles. (95 minutes)
BY CHRIS FUJIWARA
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