Bertrand Tavernier's intention in making Spoiled Children was “to arrive at a very precise image of France today by starting from a small event...but it was gradually invaded by a crowd of characters.” Not surprisingly, a similar thing happens to Tavernier's protagonist in the film, a writer-director (played by Michel Piccoli) who seeks peace and quiet away from his family in a rented flat, but who rapidly finds himself involved in a tenant strike and a love affair. Christine Pascal, who also co-wrote the script, received critical cudos for her portrayal of the tenants' rights activist who tries to coax the filmmaker into new dimensions of expression, while his wife (Arlette Bonnard) is shown teaching brain damaged children to communicate. “Les Enfants gâtés,” Tavernier points out, means “wounded children” as well as “spoiled children,” and the film has its share of both. It is as rich in contemporary wit and political allusions as it is in emotional drama.