'Wild Reeds'

I think everyone, no matter what country they live in, often go through certain periods of transition and upheaval.

Clearly, times in Afghanistan or Iraq are terribly different from those in the United States or Japan. Still, people go through uncertain times. Maybe it's a downturn economy, a war, political unrest or general disagreement. Sometimes things don't feel right.

In France, during the Algerian War, things were in clear upheaval in the homefront even if the bullets were flying thousands of miles away. People didn't agree. There wasn't a consensus and no matter how absolutely normal this sounds, it's difficult to live with because people don't act normally when it comes religion and politics. It's why you don't bring it up.

If people could handle religion and politics, the world would be a better place. Most wars would generally be unnecessary.

Now, imagine being 16 years old. And then being totally fucked up about your future and your sexuality. These are the conflicts in Wild Reeds. As sweet as the film is, it's filled with this constant grating of feelings and lives. It's very confusing. It'd be even more confusing for these characters.

It's a beautiful coming of age film, but it's a disastrous set of circumstances and contexts.