The central driving force of the film is the children’s quest for a "home." Joseph, fiercely protective and resourceful, clings to a photograph and a mythologized memory of a house where he believes their parents await them. Chloé, who is autistic and non-verbal, communicates this longing through art, obsessively creating glass-mosaic representations of this same building. For the siblings, this house is not just a destination; it is a cure. Joseph believes that once they find it, Chloé’s autism and her haphophobia (fear of touch) will simply vanish. This "child’s logic" underscores the tragedy of their situation: their hope is built on a foundation of abandonment that they are too young to fully process.
The story follows 12-year-old (Vincent Rottiers) and his autistic, non-verbal sister Chloé (Adèle Haenel) as they navigate a cycle of foster homes and institutions. Les Diables -2002- Vk
The film fits into the early 2000s trend of French cinema that focused on the "excluded" (les exclus)—people falling through the cracks of the social safety net. It plays out like a road movie with no destination; the journey is an endless cycle of running, hiding, and surviving. The central driving force of the film is
Les Diables plunges viewers into a bleak and unforgiving world immediately. The film follows Joseph and Chloé, two young siblings of about twelve years old who have been abandoned by their parents and left to drift through the French foster care system. Joseph, resourceful and fiercely protective, acts as his sister's only guardian. Chloé, on the other hand, is autistic, non-verbal, and allergic to any physical contact. Her world is an inner one, but she clings to a single, powerful beacon of hope: a recurring drawing of a yellow house with blue shutters, a place she believes is their true home. Joseph believes that once they find it, Chloé’s
Upon its release, Les Diables was met with largely positive reviews from critics who praised its audacity and the power of its performances.