Le Petit Amour

Originally released under the somewhat misleading title Kung Fu Master, this interesting charmer from French director Agnes Varda (Vagabond) is based on a short story by star Jane Birkin. Birkin plays a middle-aged divorcee who becomes drawn to Julien, the 15-year-old friend (Mathieu Demy) of her daughter Lucy (Charlotte Gainsbourg). Birkin finds in Julien a kindred romantic spirit because of his efforts to free the captive Sylvia in the video arcade game "Kung Fu Master." Although this premise is somewhat implausible, the sprightly trio of actors make Le Petit Amour a bittersweet love story that subtly underscores the differences between the generations. A running commentary about AIDS, which serves as the background to half a dozen scenes, apparently is used to make a link between the way a video game works and the way the AIDS virus attacks; but the simile is weak and confused. Too, unfortunately for moi, the screener I watched placed the words "FOR SCREENING USE ONLY" directly over the subtitles on a few occasions--one of them being the final resolution scene between mother and daughter; leaving me somewhat in the dark about one of the key legs of this unusual triangle. Nevertheless, this is recommended. (R. Pitman)