Day 12: Jeux d'enfants / Love me If you Dare (2003)

I remember seeing this in the local indie/foreign movie theater in Ottawa when it came out in 2003, and I remember thinking it was a really good romantic film. Over the last seven years, I've recommended it to a number of people, but no one seems convinced enough to watch it. Seeing it on my DVD shelf, I was curious to see if it was as good as I remembered, so I popped it in, and watched it again. It, indeed, lived up to my memory, and it remains one of best romantic films (not really a romantic comedy) that I've seen.

Okay, quick recap about the film, though it won't do it justice. This little boy and little girl are friends, and they have this tin carousel container that they pass back and forth between each other. Whomever controls the carousel can dare the other to do anything, and they have to do it if they are "game", and once they complete the dare they get control of the carousel. This goes on from childhood into adulthood where it starts to interfere with their lives as it so be expected. The film is a lot better than it sounds, trust me,

What I find most alluring about the film is that the characters, Julien and Sophie, are probably some of the meanest characters in film, yet they aren't bad guys. You know how children tease, hurt and punish those of the opposite sex that they fancy? Well, this game of teasing extends beyond that. Neither of them can explain their love for each other, because the game is always in the way. The game brought them together, but it also keeps them apart as adults. The film is about maturing, about dealing with one's past, about dealing with one's mistakes, and about taking responsibility for one's feelings. No one, or at least I can't imagine anyone, passes a carousel back and forth and dares each other, but people play with the emotions of those they love all the time, and this film visualizes it.

Perhaps the best part of the film is the ending. I won't ruin it for you, but it poses the audience the question "are you game?". It turns the film around on the audience, and asks if they are willing to accept what they have seen and have been told. So watch it, and decide for yourself if you're game or not.