A remarkably assured and elegant debut, Blame It on Fidel is the kind of smart, sophisticated and fiercely humanistic film that all movies should aspire to be, but seldom do.
Comment
09/14/07
Blame it on Fidel (2006)
93
%
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:43
Fresh:40
Rotten:3
Average Rating:7.4/10
Consensus: Blame it on Fidel is a charming comedy of manners, class, and politics, elevated by a remarkable performance from lead child actor Nina Kervel.
Theatrical Release:19-10-2007
Synopsis: How do our experiences shape us, and how is political consciousness formed? Blame It on Fidel uses a light, charming touch to shed light on these questions. At the film's epicenter is whip-smart... [More]
Starring: Julie Depardieu, Stefano Accorsi, Nina Kervel, Benjamin Feuillet
Director: Julie Gavras
Reviews for Blame it on Fidel
Top CriticGavras' film captures both the time period and the queasy inconsistencies of childhood. And in Kervel, Gavras has found a real gem.
09/14/07
What is it about little girls and Franco that brings out the best in filmmakers?
08/17/07
[Director] Gavras knowingly handles [protagonist] Kervel's little flashes of sympathy for the cause.
08/06/07
Julie Gavras, offspring of famed Greek-born filmmaker Constantin Costa-Gavras, makes an assured feature-directing debut with Blame It on Fidel.
08/03/07
Kervel-Bey gives Anna an appealing combination of bewilderment and a determination to fight back, and, besides the humor of Anna’s cultural clash, the film shows her growth in beginning to understand her parents and her new world.
08/03/07
An extraordinary French drama about the reactions of a conservative nine-year old girl to the radical politics and changes brought into her life by her parents.
08/03/07
From solemn little Kervel, Gavras has drawn one of the great child performances on film.
08/03/07
Julie Gavras’s wonderful film, Blame It on Fidel, is a deeply political movie that sidesteps strident polemics by viewing the ideological conflicts within a French-Spanish family through the eyes of a smart, willful child.
08/03/07
Top CriticThat [Kevel's] in almost every frame, with the entire film resting on her shoulders, makes documentarian Gavras's first feature even more remarkable.
08/02/07
The film lacks a sympathetic character even in its eternally petulant child protagonist and is lax in differentiating who's who.
08/02/07
A wrenching, funny and wise little picture, with a diva-like junior star at its center.
08/02/07
One of those rare films that maintain unwavering fidelity to a child’s view of the world.
08/02/07
[Director] Gavras has undeniable skill as a screenwriter, suggesting that the production might have benefited from a more experienced helmer.
08/01/07
Gavras's style is already as assured as her father's, and her ability to balance the audience's understanding of grown-up beliefs with that of a rapidly maturing girl is deft.
07/31/07
Ridiculously charming.
07/31/07
Gavras uses Anna's precocious reason to tackle a generation's idealism head-on.
07/27/07
...an adult-level film that does a great job of giving a child's view of a world in the throes of change.
07/13/07
...simply one of the best films ever from a child's point of view.
07/08/07
The film beautifully captures the interplay between self-involved parents who expect their children to embrace their beliefs and the free-thinking young girl with a mind of her own.
05/07/07
Latest News for Blame it on Fidel
November 19, 2007:
Strange, bearded house guests shake up a peeved little girl's life, infusing it with political imagination and wonder. 
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August 02, 2007:
Bourne Is Certified Fresh; Hot Rod Hits the Skids; Bratz is Grade-Z; El Cantante Hits A Flat Note
This week at the movies, we got amnesiac spies (The Bourne Ultimatum, starring Matt Damon and Julia Stiles), loser daredevils (Hot Rod, with Andy Samberg and Isla Fisher), salsa... More...
July 24, 2007:
Radiates a touching clarity that movies about children have much to learn from. Namely, the formative intelligence of a child making sense out of an often confounding adult world, and the courage and necessity of their elders to just listen.
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January 28, 2007:
Sundance Reviews: "Padre Nuestro," "Blame It On Fidel," and "Waitress" All Superb
Short reviews for three of the better films we saw at Sundance (the strongly acted Spanish language thriller "Padre Nuestro," French 1970s-set kid drama "Blame it... More...
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