Red Island (12A)

★★★★ Cocktails, colonialism and comics in 70s Madagascar; the last days of French rule on the island play out though the eyes of a young boy in 100 Beats Per Minute director Robin Campillo’s autobiographically-inspired drama. ~ The Observer.

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An autobiographical and visually rich coming-of-age French drama by Robin Campillo (120 BPM), L'île rouge stars Nadia Tereszkiewicz, Quim Gutiérrez, Charlie Vauselle, and Sophie Guillemin.

At the beginning of the 70s, in Madagascar, a few armed forces and their families live in one of the last French military bases abroad, a relic of the ending French colonial empire.

Influenced by his reading of the intrepid comic book heroine Fantômette, Thomas, a ten-year-old boy, sweeps with a curious glance what surrounds him.

Beneath the carefree expatriate life, his eyes are gradually opening to another reality. 

Languages:
French

Subtitles:
Full English

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★★★★ A childhood adventure with splashes of fantasy, Red Island is an affecting, intensely personal film from Robin Campillo, inspired by his own childhood days on Madagascar. ~ Financial Times.

★★★★★ This visually exquisite, tender film about a boy growing up in a military air base on an former colony is a wonderful watch. ~ The Guardian.

★★★★ A magical portrait of postcolonial Madagascar. This dreamlike tale of French military families living in a troubled tropical paradise was inspired by the director’s childhood. ~ The Times.