Au Revoir les Enfants (1987)

Au revoir les enfants tells a heartbreaking story of friendship and devastating loss concerning two boys living in Nazi-occupied France. At a provincial Catholic boarding school, the precocious youths enjoy true camaraderie—until a secret is revealed. Based on events from writer-director Malle’s own childhood, the film is a subtle, precisely observed tale of courage, cowardice, and tragic awakening.

Au Revoir les Enfants keeps every mind human — it fights its subject at zero distance. The story fights on E8/E9 of the E0–E14 reality ladder.