Old Boys
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OLD BOYS| Reviewed by Snigdha Sen Old Boys is a pure fiction film directed by Jean- François Amiguet. 
Old Boys is a pure fiction film directed by Jean- François Amiguet.
Old Boys is a masterpiece that revolves around digging the roots. The plot of the movie is beautifully carved with the story of an old football team, probably France, as the entire film was in French and the country of origin being Switzerland. The movie starts with a bit introduction, about the earlier times, when the team was playing returning to the current day when following the funeral of their friend Dédé, two seventy year old, Mister Paul and Bobby, find themselves in a neighborhood bistro where they remember the blessed era of their footbalistic glory and their romantic adventures, especially with Lola, the owner of the bistro. For a bit of knowledge here, Mister Paul was the coach of the team and Bobby the goalkeeper, entitled as the Black panther. Around them is young waitress Bibi who welcomes them in the bistro, and who looks furiously like this Lola, apparently absent. The question arises in their old minds from here, that could this young lady be the daughter of their ex-mistress Lola and if so, could one of them not be her father? The entire story keeps the viewers awaiting this answer. We lose patience to discover the truth just as Bibi does who have been trying to force her mother with the truth of her biological father for years, but only to hear about his demise. Bibi eavesdrops on the conversation of the old men from the very moment they enter the café, and goes on to find out the truth at the end.
The best part of the story is although Bibi and we the spectators know the truth at the end, however the old men are left clueless about it. The entire plot has been planned inside the bistro with the beginning at the funeral of Dédé at the church. And the entire story revolves around intriguing past memories and old days narrating the relationship of the protagonists with the lady, the owner of the bistro and all of this is under the amused gaze of the deceased, Dédé who comments on their improbable encounter, first from his coffin, then from Heaven! This adds a tinge of humor especially the way he comments on the two old men. The viewers can absolutely enjoy the entire scenic sync and trip over nostalgia, as Bobby and Paul do, sipping some good old wine. The music that has been played beautifully throughout the movie both as background music and inside the café, gives us some French vibes.
The movie has a bit of everything, nostalgia, emotions, suspicion, relief, and relaxation. This can be a worthwhile watch on weekends or holidays, or with old school friends whom we meet after long or so.
As we mentioned at the beginning, the film is a pure fiction as the relationship the two protagonists once had with the owner of the café are imaginary, so are the characters, and the commentary of the deceased. Some of the football anecdotes told by the two main characters are, however, taken from the documentary film "Le Paradis perdu du foot romand". Although it's a short film, the runtime is about 1 hour and 10 mins. The country of originated is Switzerland, having mention of other teams as well, as two old men discuss football and having mentions of Messi and Maradona by Dédé, can be a worth watch for followers of soccer. The production budget nears 150,000 CFH. Go and give this masterpiece a watch, and you would not regret it.
Snigdha Sen is 24 years old, postgraduate in the field of Languages and Linguistics. She is based out of Kolkata, India. She is well versed in English, Bengali, Hindi, German and French languages. She is an educator of English Language and also a content writer and editor. Her love for reading beats everything else.
