Ma Vie Reviews

interesting low-buget indie film

A 'coming of age' movie about a teenager who is given a video camera. He begins to obsessively video everything around him but in the process emotionally distances himself from everyone and starts to discover and question he's own sexuallity. It's not a 'great' film, the in-experience of the actors & low buget show through, but I enjoyed it more as I got into. There's alot of views through the camera, jerky movement, odd angles, crude edits , which unfortunately become irritating by the end. A film for those who like foreign indie low-buget risk taking films. dvd includes an audio commentary by the two co-writers, co-directors.

Lowkey coming of age story

Yes the film IS glacially slow as other reviewers point out, and not at all what I expected from the upbeat trailer I saw with another film, but I enjoyed its quiet simplicity and authentic feel. Jimmy Tavares is outstanding as Etienne so it's worth watching for his performance alone. It convinced me as a film about sexual awakening, the beginning of desire. Etienne makes his video diary because it's the only way he has to articulate feelings he he doesn't understand. Tension builds slowly to a climax that doesn't end as you expect, though I would've liked the story to continue just a little bit longer.

curiously Involving

made for about a tenner you do though get a sense of intimacy with the 'film- maker'.

I only stuck with it since there was nothing else on or to watch as yeah, the home made jerky quirky camera style does get timesome after a while (yeah we got it already) but in terms of filmmaking and scripting an idea and getting it to screen it IS accomplished and the story does kind of make sense - and you do want him to accomplish his own goals (ice skating, friendship, paternal bonding, getting laid) in the end.

It could easily be a half hour shorter which i think would make it better but worth watching if you're a film student type and wondering about how to do it with very limited resources. A worthy effort.

Very involving....

Nicely done "home made" style movie about an up and coming french Ice Skater who is also dealing with his confused sexuality.

Nicely put together, very natural in its style and acting...

Easy to watch and fairly involving without being too intense.

A stylish and sexy video diary.

Gets my seal of approval.

opens and ends well....

...with some handsome DV cinematography, but there are great deserts of pointless nothingness in this film which are tedious to say the least. Yeah Etienne is pretty watchable, but this film could easily have been cut in half and we'd lose nothing.

Quite sweet, actually

Totally unpretentious, if a bit haphazard. A good watch.

Terrible!

If you like a film to be video footage of a family of whom you don't know then this is the one for you, if not, avoid it at all costs! Not even worth the one star i have to give it!!!

[Highly rated reviewer]

Dull dull plus french audio and subtitles to make it even more dull!!

I like to try and find something positive about all films. Don't ask me why but I feel slightly touched by this film. Problem is its 1hr40 - I could edit it to about 5 mins without loosing any of the story or effect. When everyone said it was like a home movie I was expecting the filming to be poor. Instead it was downright amateur - mostly filmed by a handheld camera including all the camera shake. The film turns out to be about a young lad discovering his homosexuality. I cannot see how footage of a graveyard and the family decorating a tree are connected. How this got released is beyond me. If you choose to watch it - start at 30 minutes in - you will not miss anything! I could stick a camera out my city centre flat window and record for two hours to make a more interesting film! I must be missing something!

[Highly rated reviewer]

My Life - My How Disappointing!

This film took too long to get where it went. I would rather it started as it ended but instead a series of crudely edited scenes are put together providing us with an insight into the life of the young French ice-skater this film is about. This film is meant to have the appearance of a home movie and it does. Having said that I thought the outside scenes showing the passing of the seasons to be the best in the film. It has a central character who you want to get to know more about but instead we see, through his camera, those who surround him - his mother, grandmother, best friend and ice-skating partner. We learn little through the film that we couldn't have guessed at the beginning and I for one was disappointed. 'Can you love a boy?' he asks of his friend towards the end of the movie. Who would want to would be my question and response on this showing!

Follow his cam...

It was like watching Big Brother, amateur + tiring at times but sweet. The last 15 mins of this film works for the whole film. Regular.