Pablo D'Stair is back -- again -- this time with a genuine charmer titled M.r PICKPOCKET

Few things give TrustMovies more pleasure than, after disliking a filmmaker's movies one upon another, suddenly along comes a film that he loves. Finally, after covering two earlier movies by Pablo D'Stair (you can read those reviews here), I've found a film of this writer/director that seems to me a lovely, creative, charming and original work.

Titled M.r PICKPOCKET (and, yes, that misplaced punctuation is deliberate), this 55-minute movie tells the tale of two very young brothers determined to create a successful comic-book franchise based on their notion that their dad moonlights as a pickpocket on his off hours.

Unlike the two earlier films I've viewed via Mr. D'Stair (shown at left), this one is relatively short and very sweet. Because it features in the leading (and only) roles, D'Stair's two young sons, Lucien and Sebastien, you would be on the mark in calling it a family affair. Even better, the two kids are simply terrific in their roles, each one capturing a distinct character, along with that character's quirks, desires and attitude -- no small accomplishment for actors this young. The kids claim, in the film at least, to be "nearly" seven (Lucian) and nine (Sebastien).

What makes the movie work particularly well is D'Stair's clever dialog (get ready: It's often pretty profane), which posits that these two youngsters know so much about comic books -- their creation, distribution and marketing -- that they can somehow manage all this on their own. Much of the charm and humor arrives via this adult-level dialog coming out of the mouths of the kids -- and yet it is handled so well that it seems much more than mere stunt.

The two kids (that's Lucien, above, and Sebastien, below) seem to understand surprisingly well what they are saying, along with the feelings -- jealousy, paranoia, anger, frustration, hope and all the rest -- that lie behind the words. This is something that even a big-budget, kids-playing-adults movie like Bugsy Malone couldn't manage nearly as well. Those kids too often were "acting."  These two are more often "behaving."

The world of comic books is created skillfully, too. TrustMovies must admit he quit reading comics at a young age, and so no longer knows that much about this world (nor cares a hoot for something like Comic-Con). Yet listening to these kids ramble on, there seems to exist a lot of similarities here to the world of the fine art establishment, film-making and various other creative endeavors. It's like hearing folk from any of these fields talk about their life, work and art. So even if you are one of the comic-book-challenged, there will be plenty here to keep you interested.

Visually, too, the filmmaker is trying a few new tricks (thank god): He's using color now, and his camera even moves some. The constant, back-and-forth shots from one kid to the other do grow a bit tiresome, yet the filmmaker changes his angles and POV often enough to make things bounce and snap.

D'Stair has divided M.r Pickpocket into chapters with headings using a line of dialog devoted to a subject or theme under discussion. He has also divided the film by using audio from various sources: a Bob Dylan interview and scenes from an old film and TV series. There is undoubtedly a reason for this but I couldn't fathom it. And these "audios" do make the movie a bit longer than is needed. Still, this is only a mild distraction from the real meat here -- which is the nifty and constant dialog between the two brothers.

I liked M.r Pickpocket enough to watch it a second time and, given my tight viewing schedule, I think that's high praise. I hope the film garners D'Stair a lot more viewership. You can watch it free via Vimeo by clicking here for the full film (the password is said to be mrpickpocket, but I didn't seem to need it) or here to see the "teaser" credits trailer. You can also view the film via Amazon Digital here (Prime members can watch for free) or purchase it (on DVD) here.

Note: Because I wanted to catch all of the very funny and often incisive dialog, I turned on Vimeo's Closed Captioning option -- which worked great for maybe two-thirds of the film, and then suddenly ceased. But I'm told Vimeo is working on this. (Amazon gives you the English subtitles, too, and they work just fine.)

Michel Gondry's THE WE AND THE I: beaucoup energy (from the performers), anger-and-joy combo (from the audience)

When TrustMovies recalls high-school movies during the time he has remaining, it will no longer be The Breakfast Club or Ferris Bueller, Andy Hardy or Project X that comes first to mind. Nope. THE WE AND THE I, the new amazement from Michel Gondry, has pretty much wiped that slate clean. What a wonderful film this is. And what an enormous surprise.

M. Gondry, shown above, appears to be a filmmaker, like Mr. Soderbergh, who wants to try everything. When he succeeds, as he so firmly does here, despite a few blips along the way -- some sentimentality, a little over-the-top behavior --  the filmmaker and his amazing and very game cast of young people (together with a few oldsters) finally allow you to see these kids whole. This is an opportunity rarely given and almost never as fully achieved as here.

The filmmaker's ace in the hole is his unique setting: a MTA bus here in New York (in the Bronx, I believe) which takes the kids from their last day of school (we see them leaving the school, and boarding that bus) to their various destinations. Along the route they interact with each other and the adult passengers, some of whom immediately leave the bus once the kids have boarded: smart move. (The filmmaker uses a tiny model of the bus in the opening credits, which are a delight.)

Were it not for the truly amazing energy level of these youngsters and the smart, realistic manner in which Gondry has captured them, I admit that I would probably not have finished the film. So rude and crude is some of their behavior toward the older people on the bus (they could be me!) that I found myself asking, "Where is Bernie Goetz when you really need him?" Other kids will laugh at this behavior, of course, but those of us to whom it is directed can only cringe.

And yet so vital and energetic are the performances of these youngsters (truly, they are amazing) that I found myself hooked, despite my anger at their behavior. And slowly, they and Gondry won me over completely.

The director has spiked his movie with tiny moments of fantasy, as well as flashbacks, in which, for instance, one of those old folk goes after her tormentor with a tree branch and sends him sprawling. At other times we see moments of the kids' own wish fulfillment, or their history. These are generally short and sweet (or sour) and help fill in the blanks of the characters nicely, without undue pushing.

Among the enormous cast are everyone from the school bullies, who commandeer the rear of the bus to a gay male couple who, rather than receiving the brick-a-bats you'd expect, seem to occupy a place as some sort of exotic species. Their heart-to-heart late in the movie is surprising and moving.

The young ladies are as varied and interesting as your could wish; ditto the nerds, the musicians, and the occasional single -- one of whom (above) comes into his own as the finale approaches, and another whom we see only in captured video moments, whose story comes full circle only at the end.

The movie is fictional, I am guessing, but documentary technique has certainly been used to make it pulsate so winningly. While the acting occasionally stumbles, the step is never long enough to do real damage. And often the acting is superb, so much so, that you begin to wonder if this is not a documentary.

As the bus ride continues and more passengers depart the vehicle, the film grow quieter and even stronger. If M. Gondry ever makes a better, more important movie than this one, we're should start polishing the crown. In its way, The We and the I (the title of which I suspect refers to the kids' behavior in a group, as opposed to that as an individual) is like nothing we've seen. In a time when the world as we know it appears to be about to undergo either huge and terrible changes, if not a full stop, how refreshing to see a film that imbues humanity with such hope.

Gondry's film opens in New York City this Friday, March 8, at the IFC Center and the Mist Harlem Cinema; in Los Angeles, it will open on March 22 at the Landmark NuArt, followed by other venues in cities across the country as the weeks go by.