Child grief and loss in Forbidden Games

Forbidden Games Film Review

Most likely Paulette is more focused on her puppy because that is something that is more immediate. She is so concerned with the fact that she lost her cute puppy that she used to play and cuddle with because it was something that immediately gave her pleasure and satisfaction. In reality, she doesn't really understand that her parents are fully gone. She may be in shock, or just too young to really understand that they will never return. Thus, she is too childlike to understand the more long-term ramifications of the loss of her parents. During the entire movie, she seems to begin to realize this, however. At the end of the film, when she is running into the crowd at the train station, she does end up crying for her mother. This may ultimately show how she is beginning to understand the reality of her losses because the war and all of its hardships are making her grow up faster than in any normal situation.

Question 2

The relationship between Paulette and Michel does illustrate true love. It is strange considering that it is coming from two young children, but they clearly care for each other on a deeper level than anyone else in the film does. Throughout the movie, Michel is constantly showing Paulette how much he cares for her. One obvious example is the fact that he steals the cross off his own brother's grave to help bury the animals that have died in the war, including Paulette's beloved puppy. This shows that Michel cares more for Paulette than he does for his own family. He is willing to sacrifice the connections with his family in order to make her happy and less afraid of the chaotic world that surrounds them in World War II. Later, when the French police come to take Paulette to a Red Cross Camp, Michel is terrified of loosing her. He risks himself by admitting that he stole the crosses in order to try to get his father to protect Paulette's location so she does not have to be taken away from him. He is willing to sacrifice anything, even himself to protect and care for her.

Question 4

The film Forbidden Games is a very interesting view of a completely different perspective of World War II. Most war films of the time period are from adult perspectives, showing the heroic actions of the adults who helped try to fight off the injustices and oppression of the Nazi regime. Yet, not everyone was so capable of such sacrifice and bravery. This film allows the more vulnerable voices in Europe to be heard. It is from the perspective of a child, and thus brings a very new experience to an old war.