Declaration of War (2011)

Declaration of War (La guerre est déclarée) is a semi-biographical film, Charting the relationship between Romeo (Jérémie Elkaïm) and Juliette (Valérie Donzelli), The birth of they're son, Adam (César Desseix) and they're battle with cancer. It's semi-biographical because the script is based on Elkaim and Donzelli experience with they're child. 

Off the bat, i want to mention two things that annoyed me, about this other fine film. The inconsistent and what i'd deem unnecessary narration that occurs at several points during the film, and the random musical sequences. The narration isn't done by any of the films characters, its just a dissembodied voice, and while there's one point where the narration becomes important to film in the passage of time, not alot of whats said really feels like its had an effect on the screen between the characters. I think it might have benefited if it was one of the leads narrating, as at the film opens with Juliette and a 8 year old Adam going to a hospital for a MRI scan, and the rest of the film flashes back from there. The musical sequences seem out of place in such a serious film, but alot of the time, it only feels serious because its core is about cancer, there's quite a few scenes where the tone is up beat with its leads out having fun, partying or enjoying they're youth, while they're 18 month son is in hospital. 


But that's what the films about, Coping with this disease, how these two young lover's deal with the devastating news that they're new born son has a tumor, and some of these scenes in the hospital, talking with the doctors has a real feel to it, and quite a bit of impact,  Elkaïm and Donzelli play they're parts well, as do the actors that play they're family and friends. There were one or two points in the film where i though a character had a unrealistic reaction, only for them later to explain themselves a few minutes later, and its normally a coping method.

Declaration of War is a fine film, it gets bogged down by a few small presentation issues, but its well worth seeing.