Year in My Life

An autobiographical film can be hard to pull off. But Daniel Duval has done so masterfully in the emotional and nostalgic A YEAR IN MY LIFE. In 1954, nine-year-old Pippo, Duval's alter ego, lives in the city with his dysfunctional parents Рa bed-ridden father and a promiscuous mother. After a tumultuous argument between the two, Pippo is sent to an orphanage and soon after adopted by a quiet childless couple, Gustave and C̩cile. Living in their tranquil country farm home is a far cry from Pippo's former life. Though loving, his adoptive parents demand hard work and discipline. As Pippo acclimates himself to this unfamiliar environment, he befriends Pierre, a former soldier who also had a traumatic youth, Bernadette, an attractive young girl, and Alphonsine, an enigmatic old woman. Ultimately, with his new parents and his new friends, Pippo slowly finds his place in the world. (In French with English subtitles) РE.J.B.