La Baule-les-Pins (1990)
Directed by Diane Kurys

Film Review

La Baule-les-Pins is the third in a loose trilogy of semi-autobiographical films in which director Diane Kurys draws on her experiences of childhood and adolescence.  It follows Diabolo menthe (1977), her promising début film, and Coup de foudre (1983), regarded as her best film to date.  Unlike these other two films, La Baule-les-Pins shows a distinct lack of inspiration and, whilst it has a certain charm, it is disappointingly lightweight and banal.

On the plus side, the film is attractively shot and effectively contrasts the innocence and insouciance of childhood with the thorn-strewn paradise that is adulthood.  However, the characters are poorly developed and the script is little more than an accumulation of tired clichés, so the film overall fails to make much of an impression.  The high calibre cast is pretty well wasted and the performances are generally as bland as the writing and direction, with only Jean-Pierre Bacri and Richard Berry managing to puncture the beige envelope of insipidity in which the film is wrapped.

Film Synopsis

July 1958.  Two young sisters, Frédérique and Sophie, are packed off to the seaside, to spend their summer holidays under the care of their housemaid, Odette, whilst their mother Lena and father Michel stays at home in Lyon.  Blissfully unaware that their parents are on the point of separating, the two girls - one is thirteen, the other eight - make the most of their stay in the idyllic resort of La Baule in southern Brittany.  They are up to their usual tricks, and their poor maid has her hands full keeping them out of mischief.  Odette is relieved when Lena shows up and helps to share the burden.  The sisters are naturally delighted to be reunited with their mother but can't help wondering what has become of their father.

Lena's plans for a relaxing holiday by the sea are threatened when she recognises her lover, Jean-Claude, on the beach.  They first met a month ago in Lyon and soon succumbed to a strong mutual attraction.  He intends moving to New York in the near future to further his career as an artist, and he is keen that Lena will accompany him.  Lena is unsure if this is the right move for her, but by now she is convinced the time is right for her to divorce her husband.  This isn't good news for Frédérique and Sophie, who fear that once their parents are separated they will have to attend a boarding school...