Ma vie en rose

"My Life in Pink" is an entertaining, often thought provoking film on the nature of being true to one's self, and of parental and public reaction when the truth expressed is controversial. Interest is maintained throughout through a well crafted production, in which all elements unite and work smoothly. The various points of view of the situation are nicely dramatized, and honestly presented.

I found this movie extremely painful for me to watch, as I saw little Ludovic just trying to be what he feels in his heart is his true role: as a young girl. He even (as young children tend to do) plans to marry one of his classmates, but only when he can become a female, as apparently he sees that that is the only form of coupling between people -- male & female.

He has to fight off the fear and resentment of his neighbors, classmates, and even members of his family as he insists on trying to become a girl. The most disturbing factor of this movie is that Ludovic remains innocent and rather naive as to why his wants are so wrong, and no one really bothers to explain to him why it is seen as unseemly and even perhaps immoral.

The most fascinating point seems to be how his relationships with his family members shift throughout the storyline; his father takes the standard role of masculinely denying that his son is very effeminate and then gradually accepting his little quirk, while his mother acts supportive and concerned for him only until her social life and connections are threatened by the way others view Ludovic. She becomes the ultimate antagonist, because a mother's role is to be loving, caring, and supportive of all of her child's wants, and she throws those all away just so that she can blame their family's downfall on someone other than herself.

I seriously recommend this film to anyone who is either an emotional masochist or is interested in studying varied interpretations of how a family may react to the uncommon wants of a little, innocent boy.

Why is this wonderful family movie rated "R"? Why, on cable, is this heart-warming gem preceded by warnings of "violence" and "adult content"? Ludicrous! Although told in an almost fable-like manner, "Ma vie en rose" is an all-too-rare depiction of believably real parents and children dealing with life's pressures together. Beautifully written, directed and acted, any child would benefit from watching this utterly delightful and thought-provoking film with their parents and discussing the struggles of little Ludovic and his family. Don't miss the opportunity.

The French have been known to make several great movies, in my opinion and this it one of their bests. Georges Du Fresne's stunning performance makes you smile, as well as makes you think. The idea of getting to know yourself has been around for a long time and his character had a long way to go to getting to know himself.

Most comments submitted to this forum seem to give credit to the French cinema for bringing "Ma vie en rose" to the screen. While this is a co-production, the film is a Belgian movie, as well as its talented director, Alain Berliner, who co-wrote the screen treatment with Chris Vander Stappen.

We first saw this excellent film in a film festival before its commercial release. Thanks to IFCTV, which is airing it lately, we revisited it, and again, we were charmed by this unpretentious movie that has its heart in the right places. The idea of Ludovic, the young boy, who thinks of himself as a girl, has been discussed in some of the wonderful comments submitted to IMDb.

"Ma vie en rose" is a film that has the courage to tackle a subject that is different from all what one sees in mainstream movies. It also has a lot of messages for the viewer, but those issues are lightly handled by the writers, who had the common sense of treating the film in such manner, instead of throwing it one's face. In fact, it shows how resilient little Ludovis is in spite of all the rejection he suffers at the hands of his peers, as well as the adults, who should have a better understanding of the situation.

Little Georges de Fresne does excellent work under Mr. Berliner's direction. He is never bratty and one's heart goes to him because no child should suffer for something they didn't create and have no control about who they really are.

The R rating ought to be examined more closely. For a film that doesn't have any nudity, violence or sex, that classification seems too extreme by a film that should be watched by a wider cross section.

Thanks to Mr. Berliner for dealing with a taboo with a lot of class.