Blame it on Fidel
A nine-year-old girl's bourgeois childhood is rudely interrupted by her parents' new-found political activism in this smart, warm debut from Julie Gavras.
Nominated for the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival.
"A lively, perceptive and historically intriguing coming-of-age story." Hollywood Reporter
"...terrific debut." **** The Guardian
"A smashing, funny and politically sophisticated feature debut" The Daily Telegraph
"...deft, original, entertaining..." **** Time Out
Adapted for the screen and directed by Julie Gavras, Blame it on Fidel focuses around feisty Parisiene girl Anna whose cosy bourgeois life is turned upside down when her parents discover radical socialism. Suddenly thrown into a world of contradictory ideologies, Anna must adjust to her new life and find a way to internalise the well meaning intentions of her parents.
It is 1970 and nine-year old Anna (Kervel) is not amused, seemingly overnight her bourgeios family have decided to abandon their middle class life and transform into leftist radicals. Gone is the salubious family pad, gone are the new clothes and, humiliatingly, gone is Anna's beloved catechism class. In their place is a cramped apartment filled with bearded revoluntionaries, demonstrations and refugee nannies with strange cooking habits. Meanwhile Anna fights back with the few reasources she can command.
Daughter of Costas-Gavras, Julie started as assistant director in Italy and France working on commercials, television movies and feature films. In 1998 she directed a short called Oh les beaux dimanches! and in 2000 her first documentary; From Dawn to Night: Songs by Moroccan Women. In 2002 her second doumentary; The Pirate, the Wizard, the Thief and the Children, about a class of nine-year olds who make a film at school received a theatrical release. Blame it on Fidel is her first feature film.
Dir Julie Gavras, France 2006, 99 mins
Starring: Julie Depardieu, Stefano Accorsi, Nina Kervel
Based on the novel by Domitilla Calamai.