L'Eau froide (1994)
Directed by Olivier Assayas

Film Review

Better known for his 1996 comedy Irma Vep, Olivier Assayas has won critical acclaim for this film, a controversial and often disturbing portrayal of teenage desperation.   The film was originally shown as part of the French television series of films, All the Boys and Girls in Their Time, which featured the work of other notable directors including André Techiné, and Claire Denis.

Although the its uneven pacing and raw feel can make it uncomfortable viewing, the film manages to convey the frustration of teenagers who feel excluded from a world they are unable to conform to.  Setting the film in the 1970s is hardly an accident.  A decade which is associated with relentless pessimism (fuelled by political and ecological failings) provides the perfect backdrop for a film centred on adolescent ennui and anarchistic impulses.

There are some cinematographically stunning moments - most notably the funereal scene of the morning after the all-night party at the chateau.  The film is to be commended on its feel of authenticity, stemming from the inspired camerawork and some fine acting from the two lead actors, Virginie Ledoyen and Cyprien Fouque.

Film Synopsis

Paris, 1972.  Gilles and Christine are two of a kind - rebellious adolescents from comfortable middleclass backgrounds, both living with divorced parents who show them no sympathy or understanding.  Contemptuous of his milieu, Gilles resorts to shoplifting and other petty acts of rebellion that get him expelled from school.  Christine does likewise and ends up being placed in a psychiatric clinic by her respectable bourgeois father.  One weekend, Gilles attends a rave at an abandoned house in the country.  Christine is here, having escaped from the prison-like institution where she was being treated.  When Christine's mother shows up with her present boyfriend Mourad, the girl's new friends rally round to prevent her from being found and returned to the clinic.  Gilles allows Christine to talk him into accompanying her on what will be her final gesture of defiance...