“La Classe De Neige” (“snow class”) is a French film that is compared to the brilliant “The Butcher Boy” by Neil Jordan (1997). Indeed both films are about unwordly young boys living in a violent fantasy world. Where “The Butcher Boy” is a grim comedy “La Classe De Neige” is more of a drama.
Nicholas is a boy with an over protective father and will go to the mountains with his school class to sky. His father doesn’t trust the bus-driver and wants to bring Nicholas himself. The boy leaves his bag in his father’s car and shy as he is, he has to loan pyjamas from a class-mate. This is the wild Hodkann but different as they are, they become friends. Nicholas has frightening visions/dreams and a vivid imagination and just as his head must seem, it is hard to tell what is truely happening and what is only inside Nicholas’ head. All over the film suggestions are made about the boy’s father, but only at the very end you will get to know if Hodkann’s suspicions are correct.
All in all a nice movie, but I like “The Butcher Boy” better.