Red Island

• Robin Campillo
• 117 min
• France, Belgium, Madagascar
• 2023
• Fiction

An affectionate and charming colonial drama about a young boy's 1970s upbringing on a military base in Madagascar, where the time of French officer families is numbered.

Loosely based on his own childhood experiences, Robin Campillo follows up the success of 120 Beats Per Minute with a captivating and finely nuanced portrayal of a transitional period. Madagascar gained independence in 1960, but over a decade later, the French still have a military presence on the island. This is a source of joy for the stationed officers and their families, who lead a privileged, vacation-like life in the sun. Ten-year-old Thomas's head is filled with comic book-inspired fantasies as he explores his surroundings with a curious gaze, simultaneously witnessing his, and everyone else's world gradually opening up to a new reality.

- Johan Blomqvist

• Kolonialism
• Historia
• Uppväxt
• Uppbrott
• Drama
• Epok