I can't say I'm wild about Andre Techine or the kind of films he chooses to write and/or direct and this is just about the best film of his I've seen very possibly because of the standout performance of Michel Blanc who dominates the film. Techine cast Manu Beart in Les Egares and once again he and/or she herself play down her chocolate-box loveliness in favor of ordinariness and once again she turns in a great performance. To be fair it's something of a triumph for ensemble acting with everyone pulling his weight with special mention for Julie Depardieu who manages to oxygenate a pretty thankless role. This is one I'll buy on DVD which is more than I can say of Les Egares.