Many romance films feature lovers who meet under unusual circumstances. Zeno Graton’s debut The Lost Boys (Le Paradis) is a relationship drama that takes place behind bars.
Joe (Khalil Gharbia) has just under a month before he is released from a youth detention center (for American audiences, basically juvenile hall). He’s at the tail end of a six-month sentence. He doesn’t have a family to come home to, and we see Joe blatantly conflicted about leaving. And then he meets new inmate William (Julien de Saint Jean).
The prison setting is what really makes Graton’s film work. Joe and William develop their relationship while having most of their freedoms stripped away. However, they have the choice to get to know and fall in love with another. This, in a way, is a means to fight back against their surroundings. Gharbia and de Saint Jean are magnificent as the two young lovers. You can truly feel the despair in William when he finds out Joe is about to be released, for example.
We also get a sense of how the detention center operates through Sophie (Eye Haidara). A counselor-warden-mentor figure, we see through her how the bureaucratic nature of the center often fails both worker and prisoner. Graton could have very easily made the detention center a brutal hellscape, yet he lets Gharbia and de Saint Jean’s interactions dictate most of the action. The love story is the main focal point, not the environment where the love story takes place.
Gharbia and de Saint Jean are both truly talented, and their chemistry radiates as they try to make sense of their own lives and relationships. The Lost Boys stands out for its honest portrayal of a developing romance and its clear depiction of life in a detention center, making it a thought-provoking and impactful directorial debut.
Where does The Lost Boys belong on public library shelves?
- Romance Films: As a relationship drama, the film's focus on the development of a romantic connection between the two main characters makes it a notable entry in the romance genre.
- LGBTQ+ Themes: The film explores a love story between two young men, making it relevant for collections that highlight LGBTQ+ narratives and relationships.
- Prison and Detention Center Settings: The unique setting of a youth detention center adds a layer of complexity to the story, making it suitable for collections that focus on films set in prison or detention environments.
- International Cinema: As a film with French origins, it fits well in collections featuring international films, providing insights into different cultural and societal contexts.
- Social Issues and Justice: The portrayal of life within a youth detention center and the bureaucratic challenges faced by both inmates and staff make this film relevant for collections that explore social issues, justice, and the criminal justice system.