Living on one of the last remaining military bases amidst a hedonistic group of French armed forces in 1970s Madagascar, ten-year-old Thomas begins to find cracks in the surface of his family’s blissful existence on the idyllic island. Taking inspiration from his comic book hero Fantomette, Thomas spies on those around him, discovering the hidden and tangled political and sexual lives of the colonizers and the colonized. As relocation looms, Thomas questions whether the memories he has made are ones he should remember fondly.

Simultaneously a sensual evocation of discovering the adult world and a sober reflection of what it represents, Robin Campillo’s anticipated follow-up to his acclaimed 120 BPM weaves together the personal and political in a “visually spectacular [and] masterful portrayal of colonialism through a child’s eyes” (The Upcoming).

For in-depth thoughts on Red Island, please see my colleague Will Bjarnar’s review from its original theatrical release here.

Video Quality

Red Island arrives on Blu-Ray courtesy of Film Movement with a sumptuous 1080p presentation that perfectly captures the look of the film. This is a visually resplendent film with a significant amount of time spent around the community, and the camera soaks up every single moment of it. There is a fetching amount of detail in close-up shots, along with wide shots of the beautiful scenery. Colors are deftly saturated and especially vibrant within the foliage. Skin tones look natural, and there are some wonderful facial details present. Black levels are solid with no obvious crush, and highlights avoid blooming under the bright sun. Compression artifacts and other digital anomalies are fortunately not an issue. The film looks great in high definition.

Audio Quality

The Blu-Ray comes with a Dolby TrueHD 5.1 track in the original mixture of French and Malagasy that sounds lovely. The movie is primarily dialogue-driven with room to observe and luxuriate in the soundscape as a whole. Dialogue is clear without being burdened by the score or sound effects. This is not a film that commands a particularly robust low end, but there is some valuable texture at points. The track shakes things up with sounds of nature emanating out of the speakers. The film makes good use of panning effects to make the island come alive. Environmental sounds come through distinctly in the side and rear speakers. Overall, this track does a tremendous job of representing the film. Optional English subtitles are available.

Special Features

Audio Commentary: Director Robin Campillo provides a commentary track in which he discusses the process of making the film, the inspiration for the narrative, the fairy tale qualities, the performances, and more.

Trailer (1:56)

Booklet: A multi-page booklet featuring the essay “Masks Off: On Robin Campillo’s Red Island” by film critic Sam Cohen is provided here. This piece gives a well-rounded analysis and context for the historical aspects, themes, and plot developments, which strengthens your appreciation overall.

Final Thoughts

Red Island provides a unique entry point into the colonization of a community as seen through the wide, deeply observant eyes of a kid. Director Robin Campillo weaves in the stories of multiple different members of the community, but the limited lens means that some of the narratives feel a bit incomplete or superfluous. There is a mixture of tones that mostly works out well, but the clashes are jarring in a few key moments. The performances of the young newcomers are quite good, and the adults in the ensemble all feel completely authentic to the time period. It is not always the smoothest path, but the narrative journey is worth taking. Film Movement has provided a Blu-Ray with a splendid A/V presentation along with a valuable commentary track. Recommended

Red Island is currently available to purchase on Standard Edition Blu-Ray or with a Limited Edition Slipcover exclusively through Vinegar Syndrome.

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Film Movement and OCN Distribution have supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.