Faustine et le bel été (1972) - film review

Faustine is 16 years old and has yet to experience her first romantic adventure.  Whilst staying at her grandparents’ country farm one summer she becomes fascinated by the inhabitants of a neighbouring country house.  These include two middle-aged brothers – Julien, who is divorced, and Jean who has recently re-married with a younger woman, Claire.  Jean has two teenage sons, Florent and Joachim, whilst Julien has two young daughters, Ariane and Camille.  Claire appears ready to seduce her handsome stepsons, but Florent is more interested in Faustine.  Although initially excited by Florent’s advances, Faustine soon realises that he is not the man for her.  Instead, she falls for the charms of the much older Julien and imagines that he reciprocates her feelings…

Faustine et le bel été is the first film to be directed by Nina Companéez.  It is a hauntingly poetic work which offers a poignant and compelling portrayal of sexual awakening, in what is very nearly the cinematic equivalent of a Jane Austen novel.  Ironically, the very things which work against it and prevent it from being a truly great film are the very things which make it so charming and memorable.  The simplicity of the narrative style.  The seductively understated performances.   And, above all, the pretty location, filmed so beautifully, and so evocative of evanescent teenage love.    Although somewhat thin when it comes to plot and characterisation, the film manages to capture the pain, beauty and irrationality of adolescent love by using the power of the cinematic image to its full.  The voyeuristic, chocolate box visual style, usually reserved for tacky soft core porn films, waves over the spectator like a hypnotic spell, sumptuously sensual and sometimes intensely erotic.  The pleasure is heightened by seeing a number of talented young actors and actresses at the very start of their film careers – notably Isabelle Adjani and Francis Huster, but also – fleetingly – Nathalie Baye and Isabelle Huppert.

© James Travers 2004

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