Les autres filles

Caught this one last night at the Seattle Film Festival. I hope it's found an American distributor so everyone can see it.

The film falls a few inches from being "perfect", but comes so close that I really recommend it.

Wow! What a central performance by young French actress, Julie Leclercq!

The plot to this one doesn't evince a lot of snap, crackle or pop; but, as with so many foreign films, it's in the interstices where you find the treasures. The small scenes, the moments between characters, the looks on their faces--here we can see the birth of friendship, betrayals, the entire course of life changing. It's not written, it's shown.

I'm a complete lover of superior acting and this film is loaded with it. Although Leclercq's character doesn't say a lot in many of the scenes, I could read her mind. For me, that's a hallmark of transcendent acting.

I have to give it up to Caroline Vignal (director and writer) for capturing Leclercq's performance and several beautifully observed stages in tracing the story of Solange. This is Vignal's first feature and it's a remarkable debut!

I don't want to synopsize the story itself. Instead, just take my tip that you've got to see this one for yourself.

This is the story of a French teenage girl, Solange who prepares a hairstyle exam. She leads a peaceful life without any fuss. One day, she's meeting a girl, Gaby who opens her eyes on the world of sex and boys. From that moment on, she's obsessed by one sole idea: losing her virginity. Will she succeed in?

The director Caroline Vignal chose to shot a delicate topic with reserve and discretion. She avoids all that could move the movie closer to obscenity and pornography. The movie also enjoys of Julie Leclercq's presence, a young and beautiful actress who for her first movie showed talent. It doesn't stop her from being sometimes inexpressive.

A failing that I found in this movie is that it's suffering from a certain dullness. It means that Vignal's directing lacks of punch and liveliness. It's the same thing for the performance on the whole.

"Les autres filles" remains a light but a little listless movie that left me unsatisfied.

Seriously. It is. I'm a guy and found this tale enchanting. Why is it that foreign films can bring out films with love and life without the cheese factor that so many American films do.

I fell in love with the actress who played Solange. She was so beleivable in her role. You could feel her every emotion. Her embarresment, her hate, her dejectedness, and even her sense of accomplishment. She carried this film like no young female actress has done before her. I wish films like this could get more mainstream viewings but that isn't gunna happen in this country.

Thank God for SBS and Margeret Pomeranz.

This movie portrays a moronic teenage girl who wishes nothing more than to lose her virginity to the first ugly guy she meets.

She is so concerned about her peers' opinion that she would do whatever it takes to convert herself into a 1st class tart. The only likeable character in the movie seem to be the balding guy who dances awkwardly. I perceived he rejected her after finding out she may be underage. All other characters are all unpleasant.

I thought the movie had potential for a good storyline. However, its overall ugliness makes the toilet scene in Trainspotting seem clean.

It endorses child promiscuity and irresponsibly preach to young teens that whatever the character does is okay and things will work out in the end. Distastefully made. I can name several other grunge movies that is much better than this.