La guerre est déclarée 2011

Amy Biancolli, San Francisco Chronicle: Sick children and their struggling parents rarely make for a lively film. But "Declaration of War" does just that in an unusual French mashup of stylized techniques and stinging blows of emotion. Read more

Stephen Holden, New York Times: For all its quirks and tangents, "Declaration of War" feels entirely alive. This story of two people who transform fear into action is inspiring. Read more

David Fear, Time Out: Donzelli has, against all odds, crafted a genuinely moving ode to both the tenacity of filial love under extreme circumstances and the toll it extracts. Read more

Moira MacDonald, Seattle Times: "Declaration of War" movingly chronicles a unique and terrible fight: that of two parents against the cancer that has invaded the brain of their 18-month-old son. Read more

Alison Willmore, AV Club: Sprinting through hospital rooms, parties, sterile corridors, and grayish courtyards, Declaration Of War salutes its characters' capacity to step up and meet life's harshest unexpected demands. Read more

Wesley Morris, Boston Globe: As ponderous and overwrought as a film hogged by a couple of young hipsters named Romeo and Juliette can be. Read more

Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly: An unexpectedly upbeat autobiographical drama made with French New Wave pizzazz about a young boy with brain cancer and the parents who pull together to fight for him. Read more

Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times: A vibrant and heartfelt French film that captures the mood and the memories of young parents who found themselves in the trenches fighting for the life of their child. Read more

Richard Brody, New Yorker: Both a persuasive brief for the single-payer system and a reverent, grateful exaltation of the high science of modern medicine... Read more

Ella Taylor, NPR: Though it's certainly moving, it suffers from a frantically overproduced desperation to hold what the filmmakers seem to fear will be our wavering attention. Read more

Joe Neumaier, New York Daily News: What is surprising is how the film appreciates the way people unready for a huge responsibility can step up to the challenge, and find out who they really are in the process. Read more

Kyle Smith, New York Post: "Declaration of War" has it all: comedy, romance, fantasy, musical interludes and a child with a brain tumor. Wait - what? Read more

Rex Reed, New York Observer: I admit I admire the writing and acting of the two brave stars, who declare war on film in which there is only one enemy to fight -- their child's deadly disease. Read more

Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer: Declaration of War feels very present, very alive. And it's very much worth seeing. Read more

Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: The film may even be too upbeat, especially the ending, which is too easy and contrived. Yet there's real emotion here... Read more

Andrew O'Hehir, Salon.com: "Declaration of War" still is a profoundly affecting family drama, no matter how much artifice Donzelli piles on top of it. Read more

Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star Tribune: The subject matter is as serious as can be, yet the style is vibrant, energetic and engaging -- often tense, but without a trace of woe-is-me. Read more

Joe Williams, St. Louis Post-Dispatch: The tonal shifts, the "Amelie"-style voiceover and the punk-retro soundtrack may jar some viewers who expect uninterrupted violins, but "Declaration of War" is alternative therapy that really works. Read more

Alonso Duralde, TheWrap: What's so wonderful about the film's flights of fancy is that they in no way diminish the emotional stakes of the piece, but they do keep the story from slogging down into gloominess. Read more

Karina Longworth, Village Voice: Declaration of War turns autobiography into thrilling expressionist art. Read more

Ann Hornaday, Washington Post: True to its title, "Declaration of War" is a visceral, forthright visit to the front lines of battle, where superhuman courage is called for as life-or-death skirmishes turn into a long slog of survival. Read more