A pioneer of the Nouvelle Vague, rebellious and unconventional, Louis Malle defies categorization by genre or style. Freedom and independence have always guided his work, driven by an insatiable curiosity and an obsession with childhood and its wounds. If his cinema sparked so much controversy, it was because, with films such as The Lovers, The Fire Within, Murmur of the Heart, and Lacombe, Lucien, he was able to capture the spirit of his time, that of French society, its transformations, its customs, and its ghosts. His ten-year stay in the United States made him an international filmmaker, capable of reinventing himself in the mid-1970s. Upon his return to France, he directed Au revoir les enfants, a film haunted by his own history, which crowned his career. As told by Louis Malle himself, his life is a reflection of his work: romantic and exciting.