Malas compañías

The French have strong tradition of literature and classy art films (even though they have also made as much crap as anyone else). However, I don't know if it's the influence of television, but last 10 or 15 years or so they have started making more and more films like this about "social problems"--that almost look like they could have appeared on the Lifetime channel in the US (at least if you took out all the nudity). Don't get me wrong this is a lot better than a Lifetime movie (thus the high IMDb rating and generally positive reviews), but like a lot of other recent French movies I've seen such as "Alive", "Student Services", and "Elles", it seems more interested in sending a "social message"--in this case about teen prostitution--than it is in being a coming-of-age film about a singular female character (the kind of film Catherine Breillat has really specialized in with films like "36 Fillette" and "To My Sister"). I obviously prefer the latter.

This is the story of two naïve teenage girls (Maud Forget and Lou Doillon)who are manipulated by their boyfriends into becoming prostitutes (performing oral sex on lines of guys in the bathroom stalls of local parks) in order to finance a trip to Latin America. This is all a little less than believable, not because such things don't happen in real life, but because of the actresses involved. Maud Forget is just really, really cute, but Lou Doillon (the daughter of British beauty Jane Birkin) despite her "unconventional" facial features, looks like a tall, teenage supermodel, which is basically what she was at the time. Just about any teenage boy in real-life would probably be very intimidated by girls like these, and not be manipulating them into low-rent prostitution. (Now, if they were being preyed on by older adult "modeling agents", I could see it). I'm always generally suspicious about movies where teenage girls are naïve and innocent, yet the boys about the same age seem overly clever and evil. It just doesn't ring true.

Maud Forget is really good in this, despite being only about 16 or 17 herself at the time, and to the extent this movie works, it is because of her. Doillon has had much more of her subsequent career, possibly because of her family connections (her father is a director and her half-sister is Charlotte Gainsbourg), but she is miscast and not particularly effective here. She can play "ugly" as she did in "Saint Ange" or a man-eating sex bomb as did in "Sisters" and "Summer Things", but she just doesn't do "ordinary" very well. This might be worth seeing, but I didn't like it as much as a lot of other people did.

As a filmmaker the stunning cinematography, direction and a great soundtrack that includes the brilliant Lene Marlin track Where I'm Headed, Mauvais Frequentations seemed to be grip me. Although the DVD I own has no subtitles and I understand very little French, I was mesmerised by the way the film flowed and unfolded before me. The actors suited there roles superbly, adding to the unsuspecting dramatic script.

Mauvais Frequentations portrays how people can be exploited and how situations can get totally out of hand, movies like this should be made more often. 'Fluffy bunny' cinema is great but has no meaning, at the end of a film one should be able to contemplate upon the scenes you have seen in the movie If someone is into alternative cinema, Mauvais Frequentations might be just the thing to get engrossed in one cold night.

This film is rather fine. From the very first scene I loved it, and fell instantly in love with Delphine; the star and the best reason to see and savour this film. Maud Forget, who plays her, exudes such sensitivity it is really hard not to love her. Delphine is a shy young thing who sits at the back of the class, never speaking as that would be just too scary, next to her male friend who secretly loves her: although that much is obvious from the very first scene; so only really secret in that she doesn't know or is just too young to see it. Then she befriends the new girl to her class and her life changes completely. And this meeting is the key to the film, as Olivia essentially releases her from a self-imposed inhibited personality. And whereas before she was just a very beautiful girl now she becomes alive and moves so incredibly fast from what she was she can't believe it's the same person, and then she meets Laurent.

Laurent is a cutie: really, and it's easy to see why she falls for him: beautiful and charming and the relationship that moves the film from coming-of-age triteness to an unsettling emotional tour de force. It's so much more. It's about how much we should and/ or do sacrifice for love, and then we realise that Laurent isn't as cute as he appears: in fact he is an unfeeling emotionally manipulative user. He wants to escape France and go to Jamaica (which in English has a very amusing pun over the whole film!!) and the only way he can think of getting some money is to persuade her into prostitution: which isn't advised to anyone out there thinking of a career change! But hey if that's what you want to do then who am I to say.

So, without giving too much away the film is very good indeed. You sit for the first three-quarters wondering when this prostitution thing will come, and perhaps like how I did wonder if the description of it was wrong: as it takes so long to come. But this is the key to its greatness as by the time it eventually does you're thinking how she could descend into it when she is such a young cute thing. And when it does you're so much involved with the film you can't help but love her even more and just wonder how if at all it's going to be sorted. Go and see it if you ever get the chance, it will make you feel like falling in love. Preferably not with Laurent but with someone as utterly beautiful and as charming as Maud Forget: but hey that really would be asking for too much. There are too many Laurents and not enough Delphines. Who is a wonderful young actress, and one to look out for: she will be great, if not already. Anna Paquin anyone? In fact the whole cast is excellent. So all in all a very very good film. A perfect soundtrack too.

I was prepared to be shocked and scandalized but this film treats its subjects in a rather unshocking manner. A college professor could use this film in class to teach about ethics and morality without terribly shocking the students. Only one sex scene which involves nothing weird and the things you'd rather not see are not shown. What remains are some lost French teenagers, a good soundtrack and lovely footage of Grenoble (I think). It's not a fabulous film but it's got good actors and keeps a critical distance from the really upsetting elements of human nature, as teenagers themselves are wont to do. The gender roles are boring - go see French films made by women if you're hoping to see actresses who do more than the Amelie ingenue act in front of the camera.

This movie is great, theres only one sex scene in it but its so shocking to see stuff not allowed on the states and Mexico as well for a softcore scene with a minor,I liked the movie because it talks about growing up in an enviroment that can take you places you really dont want to be part of,This is not the classical story girl meets boy and boy gets girl, this is more like: Girl meets boy, boy likes girl, boy pimps that girl..etc. shocking stuff happens and lives change forever in this great tale about love and blows, youll like it too.