LA VIE EN GRAND

Amada is a teenager who’s still wrapped up in childish dreams. He lives with his mother on the outskirts of Paris and, despite having plenty of potential and imagination, he’s struggling in school. His smaller, younger friend, Mamadou, pushes him to do better. Together, they will try to change the course of their young lives after they find something they must take proper care of, but they also learn that their treasure can sow discord. Filmed from a child’s-eye-view by the cinematographer of the successful Les intouchables, this fable — with both realistic and fantastical elements — focuses on the friendship of two young boys. It is a bond that helps them make it through the difficulties of adolescence in a place where childhood tends to be short owing to pressing economic and cultural issues. In the centre of their world, school and its adults become an escape hatch leading to a world where it seems possible to thrive. La vie en grand is Mathieu Vadepied’s first fictional film as a director. He and his small crew build a tender, sympathetic story around two inexperienced young actors.