Basically, the film begins with a tragedy. Because the four kittens, who are being raised by their mother in an attic, are on their own due to the mother’s early and sudden death. Luckily, the innocent creatures are discovered by ten-year-old Clémence and her best friend. Clémence is particularly taken with little Lou (in the original French, the tomcat is called “Rrou”, which corresponds to the purring noise of a cat) because he is the cheekiest and most adventurous of the whole litter. Against the will of her parents, Clémence wants to keep Lou and from then on does everything to get the little free spirit used to a comfortable life in the house.
Up to here is Lou – adventures on velvet paws a typical animal and family film with sweet moments and really nice shots (camera: Dan Meyer, known among other things for the Belle & Sebastian-film adaptations) that are always on an equal footing with the animal protagonists. However, the world is not really as healthy as it first seems. Because Clémence’s parents want to separate. And after a vacation in a cottage in the woods, Clémence has to accept that her family is about to change. Lou becomes Clémence’s support – but the cat also increasingly shows an increased desire for freedom, which the girl does not want to accept. A few weeks later, when Clémence’s mother drove back to the holiday home to sell it, Lou simply ran into the woods. And every search initially seems in vain.
Many animal films of the past few years like Mia and the white lion or The wolf and the lion In their stories, they not only rely on the “magical” connections between humans and animals, but also tell of the importance of seeing and accepting animals as freedom-loving beings with a didactic purpose. This usually goes hand in hand with a dramaturgically skilfully built-in maturation process for the human main character, who has to learn to grow up – and to let go. Also Lou – adventures on velvet paws corresponds to this tradition and allows Clémence (played by Capucine Sainson-Fabresse in an enchantingly natural way) to come to terms with the separation of the parents through the separation from Lou.
Especially in the first half of the film, the film delivers perfect viewing values for feel-good family entertainment: nature shots with warm colors, an accentuating score (which just about avoids the danger of Mickey Mousing), numerous funny moments. In the second half, however, the film becomes darker and more serious, beginning with a threat of a wild boar attacking Clémence. When the wild boar is shot by the loner Madeleine, who lives in the forest as a kind of good spirit, Clémence has to understand that every irresponsible and selfish behavior has consequences for other living beings. On the one hand, this is an undeniably important message that cannot be conveyed soon enough. On the other hand, exactly these elements give the movie a roughness that doesn’t really seem to fit the first half of the movie.
What sets the film apart in terms of craftsmanship is the already mentioned excellent camera and the atmospheric sound level, which focuses on small sensual details: the cat’s ears and eyes, the sounds in the forest, the dew on the grass, the rustling of the wind in the trees. In addition, the dialogues are pleasantly reduced. The film relies on its images, which convey enough without having to say it again.
The discrepancy between the pleasing moments and the serious message that the love of freedom may ultimately have to stand above domestication makes Lou – adventures on velvet paws an ambitious family film whose individual parts do not always want to come together to form a pleasing whole. And yet, in a pleasant way, it is more than sweet off-the-shelf cinema entertainment.
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