writers_reign
As a rule I have a hard time watching Vanessa Paradis but on the other hand I've only seen the stuff she did in the last decade. In this, her debut effort at the age of 17, she had yet to hone her nauseating Goldie Hawn schtick and was halfway believable as a screwed-up wild child. Director Brisseau cast 60 year old Bruno Cremer as the older teacher who has an affair with her (but was careful to cast 42 year old Ludmila Mikael as Cremer's wife) and just about stopped short of having Cremer say to Paradis 'let's get together and compare taboos'. There may well be an acceptable side to 60 making out with 17 and Brisseau might have been the guy to tap into it if he didn't have a penchant for sleaze - this, after all, is the guy who was arrested for sexually harassing an actress on a subsequent film, Chose Secrets, also steeped in unhealthy sex. If you work at it you can just about work up a sympathetic approach to the story and if all else fails there's always Mikael who could have done with more screen time. Overall this is interesting rather than entertaining.
LeRoyMarko
Not a bad movie about impossible love, but I would suggest that you see Eric Rohmer's films a second time before taking a look at this one. What is the fascination of older man for young Lolitas? In this one, it's Vanessa Paradis, who's playing the student who get her philosophy teacher (Cremer) all tangled up in a web of difficulties. The fascination also with the troubled girl who's despaired, all the while hiding a terrible secret: she's smart, very smart. The movie is ok but sometimes a little bit too improbable. Performances are good, not great. A better film in the same genre: À la folie, pas du tout... (with Audrey Tautou). On the bright side, the movie offers an inside of what kind of feelings teachers like François are capable of developing. Every day, there's teachers who put themselves in the same situation. Society seems to be able to understand why a young girl like Mathilde could fall in love with a much older man, but the reverse ain't true.Out of 100, I gave it 73. That's good for **½ out of ****.Seen at home, in Toronto, on May 11th, 2004.
davidpedersen
This film was outrageous, about a teacher acting on the advances of a minor. Even though the minor played by Vanessa Paradis who was 17 at the time of acting this part was sexually aggressive this does not excuse the teacher, a man in the position of power, from allowing himself to be drawn into her web. The minor was a little mentally unstable but very intelligent and unconventional to say the least. He should have offered her love and support but not sex. This is an interesting film, though, very watchable if totally unrealistic and amoral.
rinatm
I saw this movie for the first time when I was 15 or so (1992) and ever since then I have seen it at least another 7 or 8 times. This is true, you know. School girls DO fall in love with exactly these kind of ppl. Not everyone falls for the latest boy-band-model-of-the-year type. Some goes for the sophisticated, sensitive, reliable and wise men. I got the movie from amazon as VHS, and still hope that one day it will come up as DVD title. Most recommended, for those who want to see true love in the eyes of young girls.
AD
