NYICFF Movie Spotlight: The Fantastic Journey of Margot and Marguerite

The Fantastic Journey of Margot and Marguerite - Image from New York International Children's Film Festival

The final film I watched as my time at the New York International Children's Film Festival drew to a close was the French film, The Fantastic Journey of Margot and Marguerite.  Similar to The Bears' Famous Invasion, this is one of those children's films that I don't know that I'd have my children watch with me.  Recommended for ages 10 and up the film definitely pushes some boundaries - well beyond those pushed in The Bears' Famous Invasion - and I think this film would probably find itself with a PG-13 rating in the US.  While I really enjoyed it as an adult, there was not a lot of "kids" content in this one in my opinion.

NYICFF Movie Spotlight: The Fantastic Journey of Margot and Marguerite Movie Review

The Fantastic Journey of Margot and Marguerite follows two girls living dealing with similar dilemmas, but from different time periods.  Marguerite is a teenager coming of age during World War II in 1942 who has had her father go missing, while Margot is grappling with her parent's divorce and her mother's new boyfriend in present day.  Both of them are wishing for an answer to their problems and when they discover the magic of an old chest, they find themselves on a magical journey that involves them switching time periods.  With eerily similar appearances, they are able to pull off being the other one and soon discover that the way back home means helping the other find her father.

The Fantastic Journey of Margot and Marguerite - Image from New York International Children's Film Festival

Part Back to the Future and part The Parent Trap, the story is very entertaining from the get go.  Unlike with some of the animated foreign films I watched, I did really need the subtitles to follow along with the deeper storylines that criss-cross time periods.  There is definitely some language to note in this film including a few F-bombs.  Language always disappoints me in movies I want to enjoy with my kids because I did feel like it was unnecessary to get the point across.  The language combined with what was certainly a more mature storyline make this a movie for teenage and older audiences.  It's definitely an enjoyable movie for the right audience and a story I found compelling and rich.

Find the rest of my 2021 New York International Children's Film Festival Coverage here!

About The Fantastic Journey of Margot and Marguerite (From New York International Children's Film Festival)

Marguerite and Margot are both 12 years old with much in common. The one big difference? One lives in 1942, the other in 2020. Or at least that’s the case until the discovery of a magical trunk in an attic that sends them traveling through time. Margot and Marguerite have something else in common: their father is no longer there, one vanished during World War II, the other is not living at home. With 70 years apart, they’re embarking in a wild adventure to find their present, explore history and their families’ memories, and not least of all manage the transition to becoming teens!