Un monde (2021)

Directed by: Laura Wandel | 72 minutes | drama | Actors: Maya Vanderbeque, Günter Duret, Karim Leklou, Laura Verlinden, Simon Caudry, Lena Girard Voss, Thao Maerten

‘Un monde’ is a film about bullying in the schoolyard, seen from the perspective of the younger sister. Nora (Vanderbeque) wants nothing more than to make friends at her new elementary school. But in the schoolyard she sees her big brother Abel (Duret) being harassed. When she wants to help him things go from bad to worse. While her father wants her to speak, her brother wants her to be silent.

The result is a drama from the child’s claustrophobic perspective. The film struggles somewhat with the typical acting of children, visibly controlled – a small minus; the casting is otherwise in order. Apart from the aforementioned perspective with close-ups and background sounds, debut director Wandel uses less dramatic stylistic devices: no slo-mos and the like. It gives the film a documentary character.

The special perspective is continued, and gives a swing. ‘Un monde’ is not only the story of Abel through the eyes of Nora, it is also her story. This offers opportunities for deepening, for example in the context. What family did the two grow up in? The tragedy of social pressure among children is a fact of the schoolyard, you don’t have to make this film about that.

The dramatic effect of the context is brief, especially because of the concept: the adults are reduced to types, because there is little in the picture. The undersigned does not think this is beneficial, but it can only be a conscious choice of the filmmaker. Maybe she wants to tell us that adults make up the ‘outside world’?

The input of teacher or father would not matter so much, in the child’s mind. After all, Nora and Abel always return to the jungle of the schoolyard, where brute power and loyalty win over wise decisions or authority. We can accept that dramatic choice, but it is also a missed opportunity.