Blame It on Fidel (La Faute a Fidel) (2006)

93% of critics liked it
(45 reviews)
89% of users liked it
(4,750 ratings)

When her wealthy parents are suddenly motivated to take an overtly political stance as massive political and economical change sweeps through France, the daughter of a wealthy Spanish lawyer and a successful French journalist attempts to make sense of her once-stable world as everything she thought… More When her wealthy parents are suddenly motivated to take an overtly political stance as massive political and economical change sweeps through France, the daughter of a wealthy Spanish lawyer and a successful French journalist attempts to make sense of her once-stable world as everything she thought she ever knew is turned upside down. Anna (Nina Kervel) is a nine-year-old Catholic schoolgirl who excels in catechism class and knows how to hold a knife and fork while cutting her fruit. Her father, Fernando (Stefano Accorsi), comes from a prominent Spanish family and her mother, Marie (Julie Depardieu), is a well-known writer for a popular French women's magazine. Also sharing the family's sprawling home is Anna's younger brother, François (Benjamin Feuillet). When the increasing militancy of Fernando's communist sister begins to pose a threat to the family, the concerned brother stealthily travels to Spain and successfully smuggles his sister back into France. Fully indoctrinated in the belief that all communists are bad, Anna struggles to understand why, after returning from a trip to Latin America, her parents seem to have developed a strong social conscience. Meanwhile, as the thunderous footsteps of eager revolutionaries begin to echo through the hallways and mom begins to prepare a book protesting the illegality of abortion, Anna does her best to adapt to the strange new environment. The fiction feature debut of filmmaker Julie Gavras (daughter of celebrated filmmaker Costa), Blame It on Fidel! playfully covers the year in which the death of Charles De Gaulle, the election of Salvador Allende, and a landmark petition signed by 300 French women admitting to undergoing illegal abortions altered the way many Europeans viewed the world. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Play Trailer

Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 1 hr. 38 min.
Directed By: Julie Gavras
Written By: Julie Gavras, Arnaud Cathrine
Genres: Drama

In Theaters: Nov 1, 2006 Wide
On DVD: Nov 6, 2007
Studio: Koch Lorber

Critic Reviews

Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader
The young heroine is rather humorless, but Gavras's intelligence and skillful touch are evident throughout.
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
The film contains a surprising amount of understated humor.
Tasha Robinson, Chicago Tribune
It's all too easy to read Blame It On Fidel as a simple morality tale, an allegory comparing conservatism to childishness, and political awakening to emotional maturity.
Desson Thomson, Washington Post
Politics -- hardly a movie audience's immediate choice when it comes to entertainment -- becomes a deeply engaging subject in Blame It on Fidel thanks to a 9-year-old charmer who steals our hearts.
Carina Chocano, Los Angeles Times
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.
Wesley Morris, Boston Globe
What is it about little girls and Franco that brings out the best in filmmakers?
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews
It offers a coming-of-age tale told unflaggingly from the point of view of a pouting, humorless and unsympathetic nine-year-old.
Prairie Miller, Critical Women
Strange, bearded house guests shake up a peeved little girl's life, infusing it with political imagination and wonder.
Rob Thomas, Capital Times (Madison, WI)
Gavras maintains a light touch throughout that allows us a rare chance to emphasize with both the radical and conservative elements at the family dinner table.
Prairie Miller, NewsBlaze
Strange, bearded house guests shake up a peeved little girl's life, infusing it with political imagination and wonder.
Ted Fry, Seattle Times
Blame it on Fidel! is a knowing lesson in film and history that often makes its serious point with a dose of wise humor.
Stuart McGurk, thelondonpaper
A wry and observant film with plenty of understated humour.
Sukhdev Sandhu, Daily Telegraph
A smashing, funny and politically sophisticated feature debut from Julie (daughter of Costa) Gavras.
Robert Hanks, Independent
The comedy always feels enriching rather than demeaning.
Cath Clarke, Guardian [UK]
French director Julie Gavras neatly side-steps the cliches of 70s radicalism with her terrific debut.
Karl French, Financial Times
Gavras is an experienced maker of documentaries, but this assured, intelligent film marks an auspicious beginning to her career in fictional features.
Sam Jordison, Film4
A smart, amusing take on some serious issues that's fortunate in its excellent young leading lady and its ability to laugh at its own political excesses.
Laura Bushell, BBC
What makes this film a real gem is Kervel's brilliant performance, personifying this stage of growing up with a perfect balance of bratishness, bright intellect, humour and innocence. She's a revelation.
Tom Dawson, Total Film
Cleaving to a child's-eye-view of a time of significant social change, documentarist-turned-feature director Julie Gavras elicits excellence from Kervel as the stubborn schoolgirl struggling to deal with the lack of certainties in her new lifestyle.
Trevor Johnston, Time Out
A deft, original, entertaining and thoughtful look at that moment when we realise the world's just that bit more complicated than we thought.

Read all 22 critic reviews

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Featured Audience Ratings

Cynthia S

Interesting, but slightly difficult to follow, tale of young French girl whose parents become political activists. The acting is very good (especially the children), but the story is very slow going. Concentrating on the children, though, I did enjoy it due to them.
Anthony L

A very funny child's perspective of capitalism vs. Communism. Interesting that the use of 'What you don't see' much used in horror films works so well here. Julie Gavras is a director to look out for, no doubt she has inherited some talent from her father… More
A very funny child's perspective of capitalism vs. Communism. Interesting that the use of 'What you don't see' much used in horror films works so well here. Julie Gavras is a director to look out for, no doubt she has inherited some talent from her father Costa-Gavras. Nina Kervel-Bey plays the protagonist brilliantly and at such a young age she really steals the show. A very pleasant surprise and highly recommended.
Leigh R

Very interesting to see how this girl grows and learns from everything that happens. She takes everything in and analyzes it. Quite wonderous.
Ross C

A sweet and entertaining tale about a kid growing up, trying to understand the adult world, whilst her parents throw away their privileged backgrounds to become Communists. Full of wise remarks as well as wisecracks! The director is the daughter of 70s political film maker… More
A sweet and entertaining tale about a kid growing up, trying to understand the adult world, whilst her parents throw away their privileged backgrounds to become Communists. Full of wise remarks as well as wisecracks! The director is the daughter of 70s political film maker Costa-Gavras.
Walter M

[font=Arial]I was reminded of an exercise in relgion class(Catholic division) where we were shown how much more could be accomplished in a unit with a single, strong leader...[/font] [font=Arial][/font] [font=Century Gothic]In "Blame It on Fidel," it is 1970 and… More
[font=Arial]I was reminded of an exercise in relgion class(Catholic division) where we were shown how much more could be accomplished in a unit with a single, strong leader...[/font] [font=Arial][/font] [font=Century Gothic]In "Blame It on Fidel," it is 1970 and Fernando(Stefano Accorsi), a lawyer, is frustrated and wants to become more politically involved, despite already housing his sister, Marga(Mar Sodupe), and niece, Pilar(Raphaelle Molinier), two refugees from Franco's Spain. So, he and his wife, Marie(Julie Depardieu), a writer for Marie Claire magazine, depart for South America, leaving their young children, Anna(Nina Kervel-Bey) and Francois(Benjamin Feuillet), in the care of their housekeeper, Filmomena(Marie-Noelle Bordeaux), a refugee from Castro's Cuba. On their return, Fernando announces plans to help the elected president of Chile, Salvador Allende, from afar. But now the family has to give up their spacious house in return for a smaller apartment. And Anna is none too pleased to be sharing a room with her younger brother...[/font] [font=Century Gothic][/font] [font=Century Gothic]"Blame It on Fidel" is a uniquely charming coming of age story told from the vantage point of Anna who is certainly perplexed at the changes in the household which reflect the turbulent nature of the world she is growing up in. Naturally curious, she absorbs some of her knowledge through osmosis but also through direct interaction with her parents and their friends, thus proving that it is never a good idea to keep children ignorant. But the parents do seem a little doctrinaire at times.(For example, I would not say Mickey Mouse is fascist. Donald Duck, maybe.) Remember, Fernando and Marie's politics do not change, just their level of involvement. Throughout they believe in the power of democracy to better the world and for Salvador Allende, certainly no Communist, to be a fine instrument for progressive change in the world. [/font]