A week away-À pas de loup (2011)

Directed by: Olivier Ringer | 77 minutes | family, adventure | Actors: Wynona Ringer, Olivier Ringer, Macha Ringer, Ursula Noyer, Pierre Leroux

What is going on in the minds of children? Director Olivier Ringer comes pretty close in his family film ‘A week away’ (‘À pas de loup’) (2011). The story is told in its entirety from the perspective of Cathy, played by his own daughter Wynona, a six-year-old girl who is hardly noticed by her parents. During the week they are too busy with their work in the big city to retreat to the countryside at the weekend. Cathy likes to go to the country house very much. She would love to go fishing with her father or go shopping with her mother at the farmer’s. But on weekends, the ignoring continues. Cathy is sure her parents wouldn’t even miss her if she didn’t come home with them. She puts it to the test and decides to stay behind in the holiday home. She slams the car door shut (because her parents expect to hear that sound, of course), but she doesn’t get in herself. Let’s see how long it takes them to find out she’s not in the car.

‘A week away’ is a modern fairy tale in which a child’s admiration for the nature around him or her plays a prominent role. When she embarks on her adventure, Cathy lives in the woods around the holiday home for a few days. An environment that could well inspire fear, with all those wild animals and strange insects, but the heroic Cathy is not afraid for a moment. Yes, for the punishment that awaits her when her parents come to pick her up, but not for the flora and fauna around her. She decides to make friends with a fish she caught herself, because of course the loneliness sets in. And she takes great care of three ‘magic seeds’, which she got from a friendly farmer. In addition, she builds her own hut from branches and leaves. Even the wolf (or is it a wild dog?), whom she calls ‘the beast’, she has no fear. When she gets hungry, she looks for food herself, although it is not easy. Cathy is a survivor who holds up a mirror to her parents. Because yes, they do ignore her (as we get to see it anyway). Adults play a minor role. We never see Cathy’s parents’ faces, at least not clearly. The girl wears the whole movie and she does it very cleverly. She is bold, determined, adventurous and resourceful. She has no intention of giving herself “won” to her parents until they approach the situation from her point of view.

Nature plays a central role. From insects to mammals and from fish to birds. The ‘little girl alone in the dark woods’ idea is very reminiscent of fairy tales by the Brothers Grimm – it is of course not completely original – but the angle Ringer has chosen by having the girl give an inner monologue, gives a very own face to the film. The camera work in the woods is nice, but looks a bit faded and dark. A little more attention should have been paid to that. The natural light used here underlines the realistic character of the film. Not magical or imaginative creatures, but real people and animals and real problems to be solved. And that’s worth something of course. ‘A week away’ is a beautiful, sympathetic family film in which the child is central. A film in which they are taken seriously and are portrayed as intelligent and firm. And a film that can also be a real eye-opener for parents.