This French flick is a loose remake of a little known American film called fingers which starred Harvey Keitel. I wish I had seen this as then I would have a platform on which to judge this film better. As it is, it's an emotionally cold film which is surprising given the films themes of classical music and redemption.
The lead Romain Dubris is quietly effective in his portrayal of a character that you both love and hate. The film sets itself up as a rites of passage movie yet when salvation is seemingly earned, it is immediately tossed away amidst violent sentimentality which seems to inflect that no matter what we do we will always be that which we try to hide from the world.
I was never completely engrossed in the movie but I was always fascinated and with an interesting soundtrack this is definitely worth a watch.