The one-act Singspiel Bastien und Bastienne was one of Mozart's earliest operas, written in 1768 when he was only twelve years old. A parody of the opera “Le Devin du Village” by Jean Jacques Rousseau.
In this special adaptation for the screen, the spectator discovers the magic spell of the theatre through the eyes of Emile. The young boy also represents the link between two different forms of performance – the stage and the cinema
In the first part of the film, Emile is the only witness of the story that unfolds in front of his eyes. But then, carried along by the events, he steps across to the other side of the red curtain to become one of the story’s protagonists? By doing so, Emile brings about the meeting of the worlds of theatre and cinema in one single tale.