Julien and Sophie are eight-year-old best friends, adorable tricksters and borderline psychotics. On one of childhood's darker days, as Julien gradually becomes aware that his cherished mother is fatally ill, he stands up for Sophie by pulling a mischievous stunt on classmates who had viciously taunted her. From that moment on, Julien and Sophie will trade fearful and hilarious dares for decades, taking manic pleasure in trying to outdo each other's audacity or cunning. They swear, insult authorities, stop traffic to share a youthful kiss and try to ruin a wedding or two. They have their differences, yet it is always clear they are meant to be together. A quartet of outstanding performances carries us seamlessly from the pair's youth, through to young adulthood when the roles are assumed by young stars Guillaume Canet and Marion Cotillard. Practised both in filmmaking and the graphic arts, Samuell makes virtuoso use of spiralling camera shots and of a vivid palette and fantasy sequences. The film is a stunning ode to la vie en rose; at its best moments it is delirious in its pursuit of an aesthetic that mirrors the giddiness of love and longing.