In the booklet that comes with the DVD,the essay says that the relationship between Paulette and Michel is erotic. Come on,were are talking about a 5 year old girl here. Great film.
shareCriterion probably mistook it for 'Jeux d'Enfants' (2003), in which two children play a truth or dare game and then grow up, still playing that game.
"It took more than 20 years for nazi's in Hollywood to speak German - sometimes."
I agree with that statement to a point. They cuddle, kiss, spend a lot of time arm in arm, there is an undertone in the film that goes beyond banal friendship. I had a boy as a neighbour when I was a child, until he was 12 and I was 10, I thought we'd marry, we spent a lot of time together and shared some relatively intimate moments. In the sense that children can have adult like thoughts (I already knew about reproduction and pregnancy) it did not matter that we didn't go all the way... but that intimate sentiment was present. It wasn't so long ago that in our own civilisation people were getting married by age 13-14, these kids are only a couple of years younger. One must also take into account the implications of family members living in an open space as they did, kids matured much faster than in our prudish society. Kids would hear and see adult behaviours and could partially imitate them.
***So I've seen 4 movies/wk in theatre for a 1/4 century, call me crazy?**