- Actors: Georges Du Fresne, Michèle Laroque, Jean-Philippe Écoffey, Hélène Vincent, Daniel Hanssens
- Directors: Alain Berliner
- Writers: Alain Berliner, Chris Vander Stappen
- Producers: Carole Scotta, Daniel Delume
- Format: PAL
- Language French
- Subtitles: English
- Region: Region 2 (This DVD may not be viewable outside Europe. Read more about DVD formats.)
- Number of discs: 1
- Classification: 12
- Studio: Bluelight
- DVD Release Date: 17 Nov 2003
- Run Time: 88 minutes
- Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
- ASIN: B0000DZRNG
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 56,526 in Film & TV (See Top 100 in Film & TV)
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Reviews
Amazon.co.uk Review
One of the sweetest films to emerge from Europe in the 1990s, lain Berliner's Ma Vie en Rose is the story of an innocent little boy, Ludovic (played with non-cloying directness by Georges Du Fresne), who wants to be a girl. Convinced that he's the product of misplaced chromosomes (he imagines the mix-up in one of many delightful daydream sequences), he sets about righting the mistake by wearing dresses and high heels and experimenting with lipstick and makeup. The otherwise friendly suburban neighbourhood becomes horrified by the gender confusion, though tellingly the cruellest blows come not from the teasing classmates but intolerant adults: one scene recalls the torch-and-pitchfork angry villagers from a Frankenstein movie. Ludo tries hard to be butch but he can't deny his nature, especially when he meets a kindred spirit: a little girl who gladly trades her dress for his pants and shirt. This bittersweet mix of innocent fantasy and childhood cruelty has its moments of sadness and crushing misunderstandings but the overall tone is loving, filled with tenderness and culminating in acceptance and togetherness. As the family stumbles and struggles to come to terms with Ludo, they find something special within him, an innocent conviction so powerful and pure that it's infectious. Ludo may not grow up to become a girl as he hopes but his belief is so strong it's hard to deny him the possibility. This films reminds us that, to a child, anything is possible. --Sean Axmaker
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
7 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Format:VHS Tape
La Vie en Rose is the moving tale of a little boy Ludovic whose
difference creates problems all around for the adults who have trouble
accepting it. Confronted to a .world where men are very
suspicious of not beeing seen as men, Ludovic takes refuge in a
Barbie-coloured imaginary world where people accept that he wants to
be a girl. A real lesson in accepting differences.
difference creates problems all around for the adults who have trouble
accepting it. Confronted to a .world where men are very
suspicious of not beeing seen as men, Ludovic takes refuge in a
Barbie-coloured imaginary world where people accept that he wants to
be a girl. A real lesson in accepting differences.
8 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
Writing as one who has gone throught the trials of Ludovic, I was glad to watch a film of great sensitivity to such a family situation. It should be a must for every child phsychologist. Every parent who actually cares for the individuality of their child instead of attempting to ensure the usual conformation to type should watch this film. They will learn as much about themselves as their child. They will never actually change their child. More probably harm him or her if they intervene with nature.
Format:DVD
Most people have given this film five stars but somehow I feel this is to overrate it a bit, even though it is outstanding in its way. It certainly presents Ludovic very sensitively and the story is well worth telling. It recreates the world through Ludovic's eyes, while also showing with considerable depth the strain on his uncomprehending parents, whose reactions to him vary widely at different times. They are really quite moving in their baffled attempts to do what is right. All this is excellent, but I do feel that in the end it doesn't quite have that indefinable something, a vision that goes beyond what we see and lifts the film into a realm where it gives a deeper pleasure than entertainment or intelligent insights. And surely this is what we want from films, ideally. The satire of the neighbours' values, for instance, is a bit too broad, and the day-glo visuals are a little too consistent, even schematic. If you compare it to, say, Celia, about a young girl in Australia, you find that extra edge of visual interest and unpredictability in the way it presents the world, while still remaining largely in the mind of a child. Perhaps it's that there's an excess of close-ups in the French film? I can't quite put my finger on it, but it is a very good film, certainly, and well worth seeing, if ultimately not quite one of the great films about childhood. The boy and both his parents give outstandingly nuanced performances at close range, and 'granny', as he calls her, is terrifically wacky and kindhearted.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Ma vie en rose
excellent story about accepting your child. How when faced with a child who challengers the gender norms and their identity as a boy the struggles of parenting. Read more
Published 15 months ago by James Barton
Ma Vie en Rose
I thought this was a very good item. It has English subtitles and was a brilliant film, with fantastic acting. I'd certainly recommend it. Read more
Published on 3 Jan 2010 by Ms. C. Giles
A wasted opportunity
Others have written about being moved to tears by this movie, and certainly when it originally played in London it became a kind of group therapy for its (largely gay) audience. Read more
Published on 18 Nov 2008 by Peter Scott-presland
very good dvd quality - and a superb film
The Main menu audio volume on this DVD is too high - causing lots of "clipping" - but the quality of the video and audio in the film itself is perfect. Read more
Published on 4 Mar 2008 by John Frame
Beautiful
Uncomfortable viewing at times but the beauty of unconditional love shines through.
This is well directed and scripted, albeit with a surreal ending. Read more
This is well directed and scripted, albeit with a surreal ending. Read more
Published on 5 Sep 2007 by Mr. S. J. Warrilow
Wonderful
I adore this film.
It is beautiful, frustrating, powerful, funny and eloquent. The world of Pam can be appreciated by anyone with a love of the kitsch. Read more
It is beautiful, frustrating, powerful, funny and eloquent. The world of Pam can be appreciated by anyone with a love of the kitsch. Read more
Published on 15 Jan 2007 by Miss Tiggywinkle
Great film!
Ma Vie En Rose is one of those films that has you laughing out loud at times!
It tells the story of 7 year old Ludovic who enjoys dressing up as a girl. Read more
It tells the story of 7 year old Ludovic who enjoys dressing up as a girl. Read more
Published on 9 Dec 2006 by Mrs. N. J. Manchester
original and well developed
I think that this film is most original and well developed. The subject is not so far-fetched. As well as treating Ludovic's difficulties with sympathy, the film also shows the... Read more
Published on 22 July 2006 by Dr. C. D. Connaughton
Ma vie en rose
Ludovic is a happy young French boy living with his family in a peachy clean Parisien suburb. The only problem is - he wants to be a girl.
This film is just brilliant. Read more
Published on 12 Nov 2005 by polly_pocket
Charming and Thought Provoking
This is a charming film which explores many different themes providing a well-structured, multi-genre film. Read more
Published on 28 May 2004 by Give Us A Wave
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