‘A Bag of Marbles,’ ‘Roxanne Roxanne’ and other films

The historical drama “A Bag of Marbles” (“Un sac de billes”) turns Nazi-occupied France into an obstacle course for two young Jewish boys on the run and their plight into slickly sentimental thriller material for all of us.

Jo (Dorian Le Clech) and Maurice (Batyste Fleurial Palmieri) are the youngest of four sons to a conscientious barber (Patrick Bruel) and his music-loving wife (Elsa Zylberstein), proud Parisian Jews who nevertheless see the writing on the wall in 1942 and arrange to split the family into pairs and reunite in Nice. Jo and Maurice embark on an odyssey marked by danger, bravery and a certain mischievously enjoyable, parentless freedom.

Reality sets in, though, when the Nazis’ violent reach necessitates further separations, threatening the prospect of a family reunion. Director Christian Duguay is more comfortable handling the sledgehammer superficialities of near-miss action and prankish boyhood than the turbulent emotions surrounding children during wartime. (The material is based on a 1973 autobiographical memoir by Joseph Joffo.)

Not that anyone would expect Louis Malle levels of moral insight here, but even occasional war-as-entertainment recidivist Steven Spielberg might look at Duguay’s unrepentant roller-coaster mind-set and lack of interest in the dimensionality of other characters and say, “Whoa there, pal.” “A Bag of Marbles.” French, German, Russian and Yiddish with English subtitles. Not rated. Running time: 1 hour, 53 minutes. Playing: Laemmle Royal and Town Center.