It offers a coming-of-age tale told unflaggingly from the point of view of a pouting, humorless and unsympathetic nine-year-old.
Blame it on Fidel (2006)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted: 43
Fresh: 40
Rotten:3
Average Rating: 7.4/10
Consensus: Blame it on Fidel is a charming comedy of manners, class, and politics, elevated by a remarkable performance from lead child actor Nina Kervel.
Theatrical Release: Aug 3, 2007 Limited
Synopsis: How do our experiences shape us, and how is political consciousness formed? Blame It on Fidel uses a light, charming touch to shed light on these questions. At the film's epicenter is whip-smart Anna, a feisty Parisian girl forced to... How do our experiences shape us, and how is political consciousness formed? Blame It on Fidel uses a light, charming touch to shed light on these questions. At the film's epicenter is whip-smart Anna, a feisty Parisian girl forced to assimilate cataclysmic changes when her parents decide to devote themselves full time to radical activism. It is 1970-71, and Anna's father is fighting to redistribute wealth in Chile, while her mother doggedly researches a book on women's abortion ordeals. Meanwhile, Anna, kicking and screaming, must adjust to refugee nannies with strange cooking habits, a cramped apartment filled with noisy, scruffy revolutionaries, and the humiliation of no longer being allowed to attend her beloved catechism class. The fun of Blame It on Fidel is watching Anna (eloquently portrayed by Nina Kervel) valiantly sort through the dizzying array of contradictory ideologies flying at her--from communism to Greek mythology, from Vietnamese folktales and women's rights to Catholic morality. The film's emotional power arises from Anna's transformation from close-minded bourgeois princess to open-hearted truth seeker and her gradual internalization of what her parents, albeit clumsily, are trying to accomplish. Seamless and energetic, Blame It on Fidel features substantive, yet buoyant, performances by Julie Depardieu and Stefano Accorsi, as well as a hilarious turn by Benjamin Feuillet as the little brother who unwittingly teaches Anna a thing or two. -- Sundance Film Festival [More]
Starring: Julie Depardieu, Stefano Accorsi, Nina Kervel, Benjamin Feuillet
Starring: Julie Depardieu, Stefano Accorsi, Nina Kervel, Benjamin Feuillet
Director: Julie Gavras
Director: Julie Gavras
Screenwriter: Julie Gavras, Arnaud Cathrine
Producer: Sylvie Pialat
Composer: Armand Amar
Studio: Koch Lorber Films
DVD Info
Reviews for Blame it on Fidel
Strange, bearded house guests shake up a peeved little girl's life, infusing it with political imagination and wonder.
The young heroine is rather humorless, but Gavras's intelligence and skillful touch are evident throughout.
Gavras maintains a light touch throughout that allows us a rare chance to emphasize with both the radical and conservative elements at the family dinner table.
Blame it on Fidel! is a knowing lesson in film and history that often makes its serious point with a dose of wise humor.
A smashing, funny and politically sophisticated feature debut from Julie (daughter of Costa) Gavras.
French director Julie Gavras neatly side-steps the cliches of 70s radicalism with her terrific debut.
Gavras is an experienced maker of documentaries, but this assured, intelligent film marks an auspicious beginning to her career in fictional features.
A smart, amusing take on some serious issues that's fortunate in its excellent young leading lady and its ability to laugh at its own political excesses.
What makes this film a real gem is Kervel's brilliant performance, personifying this stage of growing up with a perfect balance of bratishness, bright intellect, humour and innocence. She's a revelation.
Cleaving to a child’s-eye-view of a time of significant social change, documentarist-turned-feature director Julie Gavras elicits excellence from Kervel as the stubborn schoolgirl struggling to deal with the lack of certainties in her new lifestyle.
A deft, original, entertaining and thoughtful look at that moment when we realise the world’s just that bit more complicated than we thought.
Illuminating, witty and touching, Blame it on Fidel is a gem just awaiting discovery.
Gavras does not impose a political viewpoint upon her material, but respects the convictions of her various characters.
It's all too easy to read Blame It On Fidel as a simple morality tale, an allegory comparing conservatism to childishness, and political awakening to emotional maturity.
Politics -- hardly a movie audience's immediate choice when it comes to entertainment -- becomes a deeply engaging subject in Blame It on Fidel thanks to a 9-year-old charmer who steals our hearts.
Latest News for Blame it on Fidel
November 19, 2007:
Strange, bearded house guests shake up a peeved little girl's life, infusing it with political imagination and wonder. ![]()
More...
August 02, 2007:
Bourne Is Certified Fresh; Hot Rod Hits the Skids; Bratz is Grade-Z; El Cantante Hits A Flat Note
This week at the movies, we got amnesiac spies (The Bourne Ultimatum, starring Matt Damon and Julia Stiles), loser daredevils (Hot Rod, with Andy Samberg and Isla Fisher), salsa... More...
July 24, 2007:
Radiates a touching clarity that movies about children have much to learn from. Namely, the formative intelligence of a child making sense out of an often confounding adult world, and the courage and necessity of their elders to just listen. ![]()
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January 28, 2007:
Sundance Reviews: "Padre Nuestro," "Blame It On Fidel," and "Waitress" All Superb
Short reviews for three of the better films we saw at Sundance (the strongly acted Spanish language thriller "Padre Nuestro," French 1970s-set kid drama "Blame it... More...
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