Adieu monde cruel

To escape the constant bullying of his classmates, 14-year-old Otto just wants to disappear. He writes a farewell letter to his mother and his class — but his attempt to put an end to his life fails. While everyone thinks he is dead, the boy begins a secret life with Léna, who hides him in her mother’s hotel and fills his emptiness with her affection. Set in Normandy, in a strikingly timeless atmosphere, accompanied by classical music and the voice of Françoise Lebrun as the off-screen narrator, this film, which was shot on 16-mm and begins with an ending and ends with a beginning, deliberately evokes French 1960s and 1970s cinema. (bik)