Review

Breillat's movie at first seems to be the sort of French coming of age movie that we've seen 100 times before. The older sister is very much in the mould of Vanessa Paradis or Ludivine Sagnier - perky, pouty, coquettish and not averse to getting naked when it's artistically justified. She gets naked, the viewer gets turned on, then remembers she's only meant to be 15. Confusion, confusion...

Of course, this is clearly not an idyllic, soft-focus loss-of-innocence-on-summer-holiday romp. Breillat's sexual politics come through clearly, as the two main male characters are seen to be obnoxious abusers, exercising their control through sex (the boyfriend) or paternal/capitalist power (the father).

The ending, shocking as it is, is too ambiguous. Presumably the violence is meant to remind us that the other male characters are equally guilty, but in a more socially acceptable way. However, an alternative interpretation is that such real, extreme, sociopathic violence puts the actions of the boyfriend and father into context. Are their behaviours really so bad, when compared with the behaviour of the transgressor in the car park.

So... watch if you want an essay in feminism. Or if you like cute, naked girls. How very postmodern, Catherine.