L'eau froide

I'd be lying if i said this didn't surprise me a bit. The first act seems geared to distinctly build toward something with heightened emotions and portent of major teenage rebellion; the second act kind of drops narrative flow and just shuffles sideways to the next loose "story beat" before the third resumes active storytelling. True, this was Olivier Assayas' first feature, and even with rough edges and a sense of uncertainty, not knowing entirely what tone it aimed to strike, one can see how he went from this to some of the other pictures he'd go on to make. I just didn't expect that what mostly comes off as a stark portrait of teen angst and free-wheeling defiance would have prominent moments that deviate from that apparent core, and that try to stitch on intimations of more plot that seems a tad ill-fitting. I do like 'L'eau froide,' or 'Cold water,' and I think it's reasonably worthwhile, but it's not perfect or essential in any regard.

The chief strength here is in the relationship of fiery duo Gilles and Christine; the scene writing and narrative is unquestionably strongest where they and their relationship are centered. That's a credit as well to stars Virginie Ledoyen and total unknown Cyprien Fouquet, who both inhabit their characters with natural ease and admirable spirit, rather easily keeping us engaged in the process as the tale progresses. What's regrettable is that where this steps away from that primary thrust, and their directionless rejection of the strictures that are laid out for them, it meanders and kind of languishes. This is especially unfortunate considering how well made the film is at large. Even where the whole falters it's ably crafted, with adept scene writing and performances; would that they could have been woven in more convincingly. Assayas demonstrates firm, calculated direction, and Denis Lenoir's smart, dynamic cinematography actually quite stands out as a highlight. The soundtrack is filled with great tunes, the sound department turned in impeccable work, the filming locations are excellent - not least in communicating the pair's isolation and lack of preparation - and in every other manner 'L'eau froide' boasts appreciable skill and care.

I should say, too, that the overall narrative is duly compelling in relating the misadventures of Gilles and Christine; Assayas' screenplay is generally pretty fantastic. The writing needed to be more tightly focused, however, and that truth is borne out in the notably weaker scenes of the first and mostly the second acts. Thankfully what we want is mostly what we get, so while the feature had room for improvement, it's definitely better than not. And as Assayas has done elsewhere to great success later in his career (e.g. 'Personal shopper' and especially 'Clouds of Sils Maria'), he mostly keeps the proceedings rather low-key to let the plot speak for itself. By no means is this something that will appeal to all comers, or meet with equal success for all, and even without particular deficiencies I don't think this was ever going to be a major must-see. Yet while my expectations were mixed and were met unevenly, I'm pleased that I enjoyed 'L'eau froide' more than not, and it's a fair beginning for Assayas' career. Temper your expectations and don't go out of your way for it, but if you do have the chance to check this out, it's a decent way to spend one's time.

Assayas is a great director, and while this isn't my favorite of his films (right now its between "Clouds of Sils Maria" or "Summer Hours"), it still deserves a five star rating. The characters in this film are deeper and more interesting than 90% of the coming of age stories out there, and the lessons they learn aren't at all tawdry. For our full review of Cold Water and hundreds of other reviews, articles, and podcast episodes visit us at True Myth Media!

To answer the previous reviewer's question: Yes. Thus the title.

I had the same reaction to this Olivier Assayas study of two disaffected teens as I had to the director's later "Irma Vep", namely that it is a sometimes touching, often tedious film. There is a reason that the great early to mid seventies soundtrack stays in one's consciousness and invites almost universal praise among my ten IMDB colleagues below and that is because it is the only part of the film that is fully alive. Everything else feels slow and drawn out. Scenes tend to last too long and not do enough, like the police interrogation of Christine that takes way too long to establish the fact that she hates her father and that interminable pot/sex party which is where I'm fairly certain I would have pulled the plug were it not for Bob Dylan, Alice Cooper and Janis J. I will, say, however, that the ending is quite powerful. That empty piece of paper says it all. And I do not think I would have been as blown away by this bleak denouement without the fine performance of Virginie Ledoyen as the unhappy, angry Christine. And since Ledoyen was 18 when she did the movie, I guess you have to credit Assayas at least partly for her excellent work. Give it a B minus.

What a splendid film. I was amazed only just now to discover the, oh so 70s set film, was made as recently as the 90s. Clearly the work put in by Assayas in his early films, where he clearly struggled against the odds and low budgets to get his feelings across have culminated to bare fruit here. Not 100% clear all the time yet the feeling is always right, we believe even if we do not understand fully, the actions and the motivations. Sadness, anger, loss and revenge lurk but a youthful energy raises this up and despite our struggles with the sense of the odd scene we find ourselves prepared for the ecstasy of the 70s music and drug fuelled trance like bonfire sequence at the centre of this extremely well made film. From there things become a little more predictable even if we find ourselves hopelessly in denial, like the characters portrayed so beautifully before us. Marvellous.

This is an interesting film about two teenage French lovers, both from troubled homes. The boy has the typical, at times overbearing and at other times inattentive, divorced father. The girls' home-life is much worse. Her father gains custody of her just so he can commit her to an institution. Her mother is well-meaning, but has troubles of her own, being mixed up with Scientology and a violence-prone Muslim boyfriend. After the girl escapes from the institution, the pair rendezvous at a party/bonfire at an abandoned house (an interesting scene that takes up nearly the whole middle third of the movie); they then go on the lam together.

America/Hollywood has made many (really way too many) movies about teens, most of which are typically saccharine and very cliché-ridden. The French, on the other hand, often make movies with teens (especially teen girls) who are worldly and sophisticated beyond their years and typically involved in sexual affairs with angst-filled middle-age men. This movie really avoids either of these tedious moulds, and given that, and the general lack of over-the-top drama, this one of the more realistic teen movies I've seen, either from France OR America. Given the music, I think it might have been set sometime before 1994 (maybe the 70's) and could have been a personal story for the filmmakers.

French beauty Virginie Ledoyen is, of course, much more attractive than your typical alienated teenage girl, even given a startling scene where she gives herself a very bad haircut on-screen while her emotionally disturbed character is wandering around the house party (to the tune of Janis Joplin's rendition of "Me and Bobbi McGee"). Her bad haircut and surprisingly very decent acting almost make her seem like a normal troubled teen girl for awhile (at least, until she takes all her clothes off at the end and reminds us we're in the presence of rare, unattainable beauty--but then I guess that's a stupid thing to complain about). I know less about the young actor playing the boy, but he's very decent too. The adults in the movie are believably ineffectual while the teens and teen extras are believably inarticulate (it's nice not to hear the kind of precocious trendy teen-speak that American movies are always lousy with).

I've seen a lot of French movies about teens recently (or, at least, ridiculous sexy French teen girls) like "Noce Blanche" and "Elisa" (with Vanessa Paradis and Gerard Depardieu), "La Boum" (with a young Sophie Marceau), and "L'Ennui" (with Sophie Guillemin). This may or may not be the best, but it is certainly the most realistic.