Lightdeossk Captivating movie !

FirstWitch A movie that not only functions as a solid scarefest but a razor-sharp satire.

Sameer Callahan It really made me laugh, but for some moments I was tearing up because I could relate so much.

Gary The movie's not perfect, but it sticks the landing of its message. It was engaging - thrilling at times - and I personally thought it was a great time.

runamokprods A very sweet, well intended, good-natured film about a 7 year old boy who is convinced he's supposed to be a girl, and wants to dress and act accordingly. His parents' confusion, and inability to deal with the situation are shown without making them monsters, even as it all starts to tear at the fabric of the family, costing the father his job, etc. What didn't work as well for me was the weaving in of the Tim Burton-esque magical realism/fantasy element of the young boy's dream world. Somehow, in the end, the film felt too light and sunny to really rip at your guts, and yet too dark to just enjoy as a wish fulfillment fantasy of the way the world should be. So while well worth seeing, it ends up as a little less than it has signs of becoming.

Loisroselyn I've just finished earning my master's degree in Psychology. This film fits right in with what I've learned. It is touching and enlightening. I believe that every person should view this film before having children. Accept everyone for who they are and don't try to change them. We live in a diverse world, we should enjoy it instead of manipulating it. Open your eyes. This story is not limited to gender specifications and expectations. It is about being accepted for who we are - period. I highly recommend this film. I rented it from Netflix, so I know that it's available. It's important to recognize the name as "Ma Vie En Rose," rather than "La Vie En Rose."

jotix100 Most comments submitted to this forum seem to give credit to the French cinema for bringing "Ma vie en rose" to the screen. While this is a co-production, the film is a Belgian movie, as well as its talented director, Alain Berliner, who co-wrote the screen treatment with Chris Vander Stappen.We first saw this excellent film in a film festival before its commercial release. Thanks to IFCTV, which is airing it lately, we revisited it, and again, we were charmed by this unpretentious movie that has its heart in the right places. The idea of Ludovic, the young boy, who thinks of himself as a girl, has been discussed in some of the wonderful comments submitted to IMDb."Ma vie en rose" is a film that has the courage to tackle a subject that is different from all what one sees in mainstream movies. It also has a lot of messages for the viewer, but those issues are lightly handled by the writers, who had the common sense of treating the film in such manner, instead of throwing it one's face. In fact, it shows how resilient little Ludovis is in spite of all the rejection he suffers at the hands of his peers, as well as the adults, who should have a better understanding of the situation.Little Georges de Fresne does excellent work under Mr. Berliner's direction. He is never bratty and one's heart goes to him because no child should suffer for something they didn't create and have no control about who they really are.The R rating ought to be examined more closely. For a film that doesn't have any nudity, violence or sex, that classification seems too extreme by a film that should be watched by a wider cross section.Thanks to Mr. Berliner for dealing with a taboo with a lot of class.

TooShortforThatGesture I find myself at an unusual loss trying to decide how to rate this film. All in all, I think I don't think I liked the film, but some of that is due to problems in the film while some stems from problems in the characterizations and the degree to which I was bothered by how the parents of the child related to him. I also think that it is ultimately a sad film that is hurt by the attempt to attach a sort of sunny "everything's gonna be OK" ending.In parts, I think this film does a great job of portraying how a young boy, who might be effeminate or who might be gay or who might be transsexual, experiences the world as his personality begins to come into conflict with the ways in which a the world expects a young boy to behave. I think it captures well the sense of confusion and panic that can occur to any child when the sense of a warm, safe family environment is suddenly punctured when it bumps up against societal expectations --- when YOU aren't doing anything different than before, but suddenly everyone is unhappy with you. I do feel that the reactions of the community to this child seemed over-the-top and unrealistic. The idea that the whole neighborhood would band together to ostracize a family who has a 7-year old boy who likes to wear dresses and play with dolls is hard to believe. Of course, we live in a world where in the same week, the Texas legislature can vote 135-6 to ban gay foster parents while the Connecticut Senate votes 26-8 to allow allow same-sex civil unions, so geography may be destiny, and maybe there really are parts of France where parents would sign a petition to oust an effeminate 7-year from his school and the school would agree.To me the emotional heart of the movie was in how the parents behaved, rather than in how the child was reacting. I was horrified by many of the things they said and did (or didn't say and didn't do) to their son as the movie went on. One of things in this movie that left me sad is that, while I think we are supposed to believe at the end that all is well and that the parents have accepted their son as he is, there is really nothing in their behavior throughout the rest of the movie that helps you believe this. They both reject him so thoroughly and are ultimately so MEAN to him (especially the mother, who on more than one occasion blames him to his face for their troubles) that one has to think they will continue to do so. They seem to under-react to the freezer incident (which was, after all, a SUICIDE attempt by a 7 year old (!!!!) And, the fact that the family appears so loving and supportive in the beginning of the film (and that the other "straight" children appear happy and well-adjusted) only underscores the horror of what the their other son must be experiencing as HE is rejected by these otherwise supportive parents. But, I also felt that all of the parents' bad behavior was out-of-character given what we are otherwise shown about them in a way that suggests there is a problem with the script/characterizations. (As an aside, I also found it odd that many conversations in the film that I would expect to take place privately took place with a larger audience - i.e. the child is present when the shrink talks about the boy's behavior, the other children are present when the parents fight about the boy, etc. But I don't know if this is bad writing or if these are just US/France cultural differences in play.)Either way, and no matter what the end of the movie would have you think, the boy has been pretty battered by how he's been treated (especially by his parents -- it's one thing to have the world against you, but if at any age, let alone 7 years old, you don't have a safe secure home world, you're really screwed) and I don't think you get over that very easily. Heck, he MOVES OUT at the age of 7 to live with his grandmother because everyone recognizes he'll be better off there. And then is effective forced back home because the family is moving. He's lost the innocent security of childhood years before the age that most people are forced to go through that.So, I didn't hate the movie and it had moments that felt very truthful (I loved when the psychologist tells the boy that there just may be things that his parents will never understand -- I'm just not sure he was at an age to really hear her) but there is a lot of stuff in the movie of which I am suspect and which feels contrived. If it is contrived, there's a problem, but to the extent that it's just reflecting a reality other than what I think exists, then maybe it's good. But, either way, I am bothered by the suggestion in many reviews that this is some sort of "feel-good" movie. At the end of it all, you still have a boy who has been traumatize by this family and neighbors and who is likely to continue to face similar problems for years to come.