Poil de carotte

This is such a good portrait of abusive family dynamics, they are really well displayed: the loveless marriage, the older brother being treated as the golden child, the uncaring father who doesn’t pay attention to his kids, the overcontroling gaslighting violent mother, and of course, Francoise being the escape goat of the entire family, the one everybody take their anger with. Incredibly well written, really talented performance from the kid, and props to Duviver for another fantastic movie

The original silent version of Poil de carotte (1925) from Julien Duvivier, who would redirect it for the sound age in 1932. And this is a case where I felt the sound movie was clearly better then the silent one. Even visually. The story is still an emotional tale of a red haired kid is driven to depression by the people who are supposed to love him. Charlotte Barbier-Krauss as the ugly mother is a strong character, so is the carrot top André Heuzé.