THE FOX AND THE CHILD
Following his Oscar-winning smash hit March of the Penguins, director Luc Jacquets first stab at a feature-length fiction finds him once again communing with nature. Inspired by an unforgettable childhood encounter, The Fox & the Child is a very simply told story about a little girls fascination with the cute furry creatures living in the forest around her French country home. Heres a film that delivers what it says on the tin. One day a young girl, walking alone in the hills, encounters a fox, pouncing and prancing about molehills. Fascinated by the fox, the girl spends the next year or so trying to earn the trust of the neurotic little animal, bringing her deeper into the woods, and occasionally running into some genuinely frightening situations. The story follows a fairly conventional dramatic trajectory, so theres really nothing too wild or creative here, which is just fine, this film accomplishes all it needs to, though the 95 minute runtime drags a bit and anyone outside of the target audience will likely be bored to tears. Its basically a story about the boundaries of human interaction with nature in which discoveries are made and lessons are learned. Refreshingly, no CGI talking animals pop up here; what we do have is enchanting scenery and childhood wonder without a hint of excess. The scenery is utterly breathtaking the best cinematography Ive seen all year which should be enough to keep parents fascinated while their children get lost the girls adventures. This is an old-fashioned nature fantasia made specifically for nice little children and nature enthusiasts. It doesnt have the exotic wow factor of Penguins, and is unlikely to make a dime at the box office, but The Fox & the Child will be a memorable treat for mothers & daughters who are insulted by the utter nonsense such as Bratz that is all too often thrown at this demographic.
rating: 3
The movie is playing on a limited release in U.K. cinema's from Friday August 8th 2008!