Based on the popular 60s TV show, Belle and Sebastian: Friends for Life is the third installment in the French film series. It’s a classic “boy and his dog” film. Think Lassie in the Alps.
We start with a quick recap of the story so far. Sebastian’s mother is rescued from a blizzard by Cesar, a hermit living in a rough peasant hut. With her dying breaths, she manages to deliver a baby (Sebastian), leaving Cesar all alone to raise him.
In the first film, Sebastian meets a massive stray dog, whom he soon befriends and names Belle. After that, they spend the rest of the movie smuggling Jewish refugees through the Nazi-occupied alpine village of Saint Martin, making Belle a local hero.
Fast-forward a few years to this film and Belle is now the mother of three pups, and Sebastien’s aunt and uncle want to take him to live in Montreal. With Sebestien’s attitude towards the move, it’s already a sticky situation – but it goes downhill fast when Joseph arrives.
Portrayed by Clovis Cornillac, who also directed the film, we first see Joseph roll up in a military half-track, filled with guns, army surplus and weighted dice. Dressed in all-black, Spaghetti Western-style apparel, he’s not exactly the most subtle of characters.
He announces himself as the previous owner of Belle and has the right to take her away. Suffice it to say Sebastian isn’t happy with this, and rest of the film is basically a back-and-forth battle of ownership.
This is clearly a film made for an audience of around 10-12 years old, so there’s not much subtlety to be found. The plot, the dialogue and the characters are obvious and occasionally clumsily written.
But that’s not to say it doesn’t have charm. In the end, it’s a light, fun film you don’t have to think about to enjoy, and that can be a good thing.
Bill (13)
3/5