Red Island (2023)

Set against a backdrop, in the early 1970s, of increasing local dissatisfaction with both their government and it's dependent relationship with former colonial power France, this drama follows the lives of the last few occupants of a French airbase in Madagascar as their deployment comes to an end. Most of the observations emanate from the young "Thomas" (Charlie Vauselle) as he watches his parents "Colette" (Nadia Tereszkiewicz) and "Robert(o)" (Quim Gutiérrez) come to terms with not just their impending relocation, but with changes to their own not always perfect relationship. His young eyes also serve as conduits to other characterisations amongst their ex-pat community. "Bernard" (Hugues Delemarlière) has his young pregnant wife "Odile" (Luna Carpiaux) with him but she hates the place and returns to France leaving him free to fall in love with a local hooker "Miangaly" (Amely Rakotsarimakala), one of many who are increasingly coming to resent the last vestiges of their former masters. The film has a certain tension to it, but I felt none of the characters really very well developed. The relationship between the young boy and his friend "Suzanne" (Cathy Pham) - cemented over their love of the crime busting and quite amusingly basic "Fantômette", being the only one that really offered us anything with much depth. As to the "Red Island" - well we know where we are, but the photography doesn't really make much of the location so we could just as easily be in any sunny seaside location. The last five minutes give us more of an indication of evolving political developments but I found, for the most part, this to be a pretty unimaginative trawl through the peccadilloes of some people about whom I didn't really care. The young Vauselle turns in quite an engaging effort but otherwise I wasn't especially impressed.