Charlie Vauselle

Quim Gutiérrez

Nadia Tereszkiewicz

Sophie Guillemin

Hugues Delamarliere

David Serero

Luna Carpiaux

Mathis Piberne

Sacha Cosar-Accaoui

François-Dominique Blin

Amely Rakotoarimalala

Mitia Ralaivita

Cathy Pham

Calissa Oskal-Ool

Olivier Lanchy

Robin Campillo

Jeanne Lapoirie

Marie-Ange Luciani

Isabelle Pannetier

Arnaud Rebotini

Gilles Marchand

Leïla Fournier

Emmanuel Gomes de Araujo

Daphné Hesnard

Martin Caraux

Cécile Pellerin

Pascal Blanc

Thimotée Robart

Olivier Thys

Luc Frisson

Julie Richard

Chouchane Bakirel

Estelle Mathieu

Thomas Gauder

Adrien Grasswill

Louise Hartvick

Audrey Gatimel

Emmanuelle Duplay

Yann Le Borgne

Olivier Boutry

Julien Sicart

Ugo Villion

Christophe Gomes

Lisa Fischer

Alexandre Petazzoni

Théo Madia

Kenzo Pelsener

Olivier Raveneau

Julien Bureau

Flora Pascottini

Lucie Colombié

Dimitri Doulkeridis

Louis Descols

Valentin Keung

Benjamin Dewalque

Aline Dalbis

Nicolas Doerler

Thomas Laporte

Julien Covens

Marie Cantet

Chris Renson

Renaud Seveau

Drama

L'Île rouge

Les Films de Pierre

SCOPE Pictures

France 3 Cinéma

DDC International

Memento Films Production

Playtime

France

Madagascar

Belgium

Français

Red Island

1970s

coming of age

french colonialism

CinemaSerf

Set against a backdrop, in the early 1970s, of increasing local dissatisfaction with both their government and it's dependent relationship with former colonial power France, this drama follows the lives of the last few occupants of a French airbase in Madagascar as their deployment comes to an end. Most of the observations emanate from the young "Thomas" (Charlie Vauselle) as he watches his parents "Colette" (Nadia Tereszkiewicz) and "Robert(o)" (Quim Gutiérrez) come to terms with not just their impending relocation, but with changes to their own not always perfect relationship. His young eyes also serve as conduits to other characterisations amongst their ex-pat community. "Bernard" (Hugues Delemarlière) has his young pregnant wife "Odile" (Luna Carpiaux) with him but she hates the place and returns to France leaving him free to fall in love with a local hooker "Miangaly" (Amely Rakotsarimakala), one of many who are increasingly coming to resent the last vestiges of their former masters. The film has a certain tension to it, but I felt none of the characters really very well developed. The relationship between the young boy and his friend "Suzanne" (Cathy Pham) - cemented over their love of the crime busting and quite amusingly basic "Fantômette", being the only one that really offered us anything with much depth. As to the "Red Island" - well we know where we are, but the photography doesn't really make much of the location so we could just as easily be in any sunny seaside location. The last five minutes give us more of an indication of evolving political developments but I found, for the most part, this to be a pretty unimaginative trawl through the peccadilloes of some people about whom I didn't really care. The young Vauselle turns in quite an engaging effort but otherwise I wasn't especially impressed.

Brent Marchant

Movies about little-known, faraway locations can be a great way to learn about exotic destinations and cultures. And those set in a historical context can offer excellent opportunities for insights into the legacies of these locales. Such was my hope for this offering from writer-director Robin Campillo about the waning days of the French presence on the island of Madagascar. Set in the early 1970s, approximately a decade after the nation gained independence from its former colonial occupier, the film follows the lives of several French military officers and their families, particularly their relationships with each other and with locals, at the time when France was withdrawing from the country. On the surface, this might sound like an intriguing premise for a film, but, instead, it’s a mess of diverse, largely unconnected story threads that are never fully fleshed out. Over the course of this release, the disjointed narrative changes focus multiple times, telling pieces of stories from the ever-shifting perspectives of an array of characters involved in a wide range of underdeveloped scenarios, many of which are introduced and subsequently allowed to fizzle without meaningful or satisfying resolution. Much of the picture explores childhood and coming of age matters from the standpoint of Thomas (Charlie Vauselle), a shy eight-year-old seeking to find his way and understand life in this enigmatic setting. But Thomas’s experience is intertwined with themes related to domestic discord, marital infidelity, interracial relationships, concealed secrets, questionable ambitions, political reform movements and the fading remnants of European imperialism. There are also a number of segments exploring Thomas’s vivid fantasy life, particularly his fascination with Fantômette, the subject of a French book series for young readers featuring a crime-fighting female superhero. In presenting all of this material, the film incorporates familiar elements reminiscent of a plethora of pictures, including everything from “The Year of Living Dangerously” (1982) to “The Ice Storm” (1997), among others. In the end, though, none of this hangs together especially well, frequently leaving viewers perplexed about what’s coming next or why some of this material was even included in the first place. It essentially feels like a movie put together by a committee, ultimately providing considerably more frustration than satisfaction. For what it’s worth, “Red Island,” sadly, is a real disappointment and a woefully missed opportunity to offer audiences something truly fresh, new and different, something the movie industry could really use more of these days.

Mark Kermode reviews Red Island (2023) | BFI Player

Robin Campillo on Red Island

Official UK Trailer [Subtitled]

Red Island( 2023)

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A review by CinemaSerf

Written by CinemaSerf on Wed Apr 03 2024

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