The first feature from French director Yann Samuell is a romantic fantasy with a dark center. In the bold colors and whimsical style of a child's nursery book, the ambitious tale is part intense romance, part cautionary tale and part psychological study of the effects left by deep childhood wounds. A mother’s untimely death and the torment suffered from being a poor outsider give rise to an endless stream of dares between young Julien and Sophie that continue as they move toward adulthood. A hit in France, the film has been compared to Jeunet’s "Amelie," though the only real similarities are that both are French and have fantasy elements. One could perhaps view it as "Amelie" in an alternate universe, but that would be devaluing the originality of Samuell’s story. It hits much darker tones, not the least of which is the self-absorption of our hero and heroine.

A voice over the opening scene warns against being buried in concrete with your best friend, no matter how much you like her. It is a broad clue that sets the tone of the tragicomedy that follows. We get acquainted with the pair as children when their connection to each other is cemented, pun intended, by their taste for audacious mischief. The two carry the first third of the film well enough, but when we see them again as young adults, and the intricacies of their relationship deepen, I found myself caring little for this duo who grows from little troublemakers into to big self-centered adults that not even a self imposed hiatus from each other for 10 years can break.

The dares that bind them together in childhood get in the way of other relationships - Julien with his widowed father and later with his wife (who looks remarkably like his beloved mother). Free spirit Sophie’s chief appeal is her relentless drive to pursue the game to ever more dangerous levels, perhaps testing how far she can go and keep Julien’s love. The games they play have a meanness about them that prevents us feeling genuine concern for them and left me feeling like they deserved each other, perhaps in an unintended way. Presumably we are meant to feel swept away by the power of a love that can't be denied and the willingness to follow impulses, wherever they may lead. I felt relieved when their fates seemed to finally be sealed.

Samuell’s background as an illustrator and designer are put to fine use in the most interesting element of the film: inventive visuals that employ a multitude of cardboard cutouts and idyllic fantasy settings that work to transport us into the realm of childhood when games are serious business and anything seems possible. Perhaps we are meant to appreciate this love that was meant to be, since they are still at it fifty or so years later but I found them unappealingly cavalier about who got hurt in the pursuit of their game playing.