La Fille seule (1995)

La Fille seule is a French film first released in 1995, directed by Benoît Jacquot.  The film stars Virginie Ledoyen, Benoît Magimel, Dominique Valadié, Véra Briole and Virginie Emane.  It has also been released under the title: A Single Girl.  Our overall rating for this film is: good.


Valérie meets up with her boyfriend Rémi in a Paris café to tell him that she is pregnant and intends to keep the baby.  Rémi, an unemployed young man who lives with his parents, has nothing to offer Valérie, and the young woman is uncertain whether to separate from him and start a new life alone.  There is not much time for discussion, because Valérie has to rush off to start her new job as a chambermaid in a luxury hôtel.  After a harrowing first morning in her job, Valérie manages to join Rémi in her lunchtime break...

Despite its simplicity, La Fille seule is an extraordinarily compelling film, offering a profound and revealing insight into the mind of a rebellious young woman who suddenly finds herself saddled with the burden of motherhood.  The film essentially consists of an introductory and concluding discussion between the main protagonists Valérie and Rémi, sandwiched around the bulk of the film, which is a quiet but visually captivating portrait of Valérie’s first day at work.  The film ends with a short epilogue which takes place a few years after the main part of the film, principally to show what Valérie decides to do to resolve the dilemmas she was seen struggling with in the earlier part of the film.

Excluding the epilogue, the film takes place in real time, staying with the central character Valérie throughout, giving the impression that the spectator is following her around, developing a very deep rapport with the character.  The reason why this is so effective (when it could so easily have resulted in tedium) arises from a combination of some great photography and an equally impressive performance from Virginie Ledoyen.  The eloquence in the cinematography makes up for the lack of dialogue and the polished, claustrophobic interior of the hotel, inter-cut with rushed scenes in the kitchen, perfectly reflect the isolation and vulnerability of a young woman who has reached a crisis point in her life.  Ledoyen’s performance is superlative, the actress managing to convey a range of conflicting emotions (often simultaneously) which gives her character so much depth and conviction that, by the end of the film, you really do feel that you have known her intimately for years.

La Fille seule offers a refreshing change from the bulk of contemporary cinema, which is increasingly event-orientated.  This film is the total opposite, unapologetically character-centric, eschewing melodrama in favour of a more subtle approach, one which actively engages the spectator.  Benoît Jacquot’s approach may be unusual but it is irresistibly alluring.


© James Travers 2000

Write a review for this film...


What do you think of this film?

More French Drama
Recent DVD releases