"I started out with the overwhelming desire to work with ordinary children in an extraordinary situation, to hear what they had to say on the essential issues that life has forced them to face... I wanted to film children fighting, not children suffering, because I'm sure they can teach us something... I put up a poster about the film on the walls at the Curie hospital, explaining that my work was based on the idea that the illness was a trial and that it would help them grow. My choice was clear : in filming the child, I would be a companion (...) At first, I wanted the child's story to structure the film like a tale. The fairy-tale wasn't far off, the idea, the wish (...) and then I had to wait 3 months for the child who was going to become my main character..."
(Denis Gheerbrant)