The fox and the girl – Le renard et l’enfant (2007)

Directed by: Luc Jacquet | 92 minutes | drama, family | Actors: Bertille Noël-Bruneau, Isabelle Carré | Dutch voice cast: Hilde de Mildt, Vivian van Huiden, Fred Meijer, Gijs Blom

The opening scene of ‘The fox and the girl’ (‘Le renard et l’enfant’) immediately takes us into the fairytale-like autumn atmosphere. The rolling hills covered with reddish-yellow-brown leaves and the soaring flute music allow you to breathe in pure nature. A resemblance between the child and the fox is subtly laid when a red-haired girl appears on the screen. Not only does the hair color match, but she also blends in with the ruddyness of the environment in terms of clothing. Filming is almost exclusively done outside, so that the focus is on the animal world and nature. The images we see are impressive. The changing of the seasons gives us an even more varied view of the area. In a realistic way we see how the girl, next to all the other animals in the forest, becomes most fascinated by the fox. The narrator nicely deals with typical childhood thoughts such as witches flying through the forest at night and animals that are your friend.

The good thing is that the film contains almost no dialogue and yet remains very interesting. This is in addition to the beautiful images of nature through the artless acting of Bertille Noël-Bruneau. The trust that develops between the fox and the child is endearing. Strolling through nature with the fox as a friend does indeed push the limits of the truth. It is therefore good that it becomes clear how vulnerable this trust is. You can’t just rely on a wild animal, it will always seek its freedom. The moments of tension, which the girl usually experiences with the fox, are therefore not always positive. It is fascinating to see that the girl realizes how elusive nature is next to something concrete such as school. This elusiveness provokes a certain curiosity, which makes us plunge into the adventure. The girl and the fox lead the viewer to the most secret spots of the forest that no one knew existed.

It is nice that a balance is always sought between moments of tension and relaxation. Then again we are in the middle of a terrifying chase scene, then again we skip through the green meadows. We also find this variation in the change of perspectives. One moment we experience the world of experience of the child who is memorizing a book about the fox and the next we experience the wilderness of nature in its full beauty. There is not a person to be seen. The final scene tries in a bumbling way to teach us a moral about the relationships between animals and humans. It leaves a somewhat confusing impression and does not give a satisfying feeling. After all, it had already become clear in the course of the film that a friendship with a wild animal is impossible. Still, ‘The Fox and the Girl’ is a film that has you in its grip from start to finish and can therefore certainly be praised.