Film Review
Coming-of-age dramas are two-a-penny these days but, once in a while,
the genre throws up something special, a quirky variation on a familiar
theme which persuades us we have not yet had the last word on matters
relating to teenage growing pains. For her debut film, 30-year-old Katell
Quillevere draws on her own experiences to paint a portrait of
adolescent awakening in a rural French setting that is both strikingly
naturalistic and pointedly lyrical. By virtue of its subject
matter, narrative simplicity and almost brutal directness, it evokes
some of the great films by Robert Bresson and Maurice Pialat, and yet
it also has a very noticeable feminine voice, for this is clearly a
woman's perspective on a girl's painful transition to womanhood.
The film was enthusiastically received at the Cannes Film Festival in 2010 and was awarded the Jean
Vigo prize, a very auspicious debut for a promising young filmmaker.
The hormone-induced emotional traumas experienced by the central
character (played by Clara Augarde in a compelling and beautifully
understated performance) are accentuated by the chaos that surrounds
her, and also by her strict Catholic upbringing. Her parents have
separated, her mother is in a state of disarray, and her grandfather (a superb Michel Galabru),
her closest confidant, is having to face up to the greatest
crisis of all: death. Then she becomes aware of boys (or rather one particular
boy, a cute little Don Juan who looks as if he should be hosting a
daytime TV gameshow), and her whole world is turned inside out.
Her dilemma is not only a moral one but an intensely spiritual one - by
embarking on a romantic relationship does she betray her devotion to
God and risk being damned? Which will prove stronger, desire or
faith?
The film's title (lifted from
Un
poison violent, c'est ça l'amour, a song by Serge
Gainsbourg) is aptly chosen. Love is indeed a poison, a potent
metaphorical hemlock which extinguishes something in the soul and
leaves its victim eternally stricken with a lingering desolation. One of the
strengths of Katell Quillevere's film is how sensitively and
realistically it explores the adolescent psyche, portraying the teenage
protagonists as real people conflicted by real feelings, as opposed to
the soulless stereotypes that are seen too often in films and television
programmes these days. The effortless delicacy of Quillevere's
mise-en-scène is matched by the maturity and compassion
she shows in her screenwriting - a remarkable debut indeed.
© James Travers 2013
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Film Synopsis
This is the summer when everything changed for Anna. On her
return from boarding school, she discovers that her father has left
home. Devastated by the breakdown of her marriage, her
mother turns to the young village priest for support, whilst Anna is
consoled by her bedridden grandfather. As she prepares for her
confirmation, Anna meets Pierre, a solitary and free-spirited
teenager. This summer, Anna was expecting to give herself,
body and soul, to God. Instead, a mere mortal could be the
recipient of her devotion...
© James Travers
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.