Belle and Sebastian

Based on the popular French novel by Cécile Aubry, Belle and Sebastian is a fine family drama set in the French Alps during the Nazi occupation. Sebastian (Félix Bossuet) is a young boy living with an adoptive grandfather figure, César (veteran French star Tchéky Karyo), and the latter's daughter, Angélina (Margaux Châtelier). Despite visits by German soldiers that are frequent and worrisome, Angélina, César, and a number of others are involved with smuggling Jews across the mountains and into Switzerland. Uppermost in Sebastian's mind, however, is Belle, a big, fluffy Patou dog who is a stray and is presumed to be killing the villagers' sheep (she isn't). Belle and Sebastian become fast friends, and despite continuing suspicions about the dog (who chases off wolves at one point from the vulnerable sheep), Belle eventually proves to be valorous. Heartwarming and suspenseful, this is also a lovely film, with beautiful footage of Alpine meadows and vast glaciers. Highly recommended. (T. Keogh)