1977, cinema is free and France generally likes to be even freer. No conventions, hardly any boundaries, room for all kinds of ideas, perhaps even outlandish fantasies. Well, let's say thoughts, we're not in the X-rated area after all. Nevertheless, the constellation presented may seem very offensive today. Perhaps that time was simply more relaxed and natural. The current self-congratulatory 'where love falls' is just as much a sham as any other supposedly achieved freedom. The chains are stronger than ever, but unfortunately less recognisable. So the story sounds strangely lurid at first, but it soon becomes clear that this does not reflect the actual intention and feeling of the film at all. The film is more of a summery, upbeat drama with some deeper content. One is the coming-of-age theme, classic for adolescents, but also that of adults in their midlife crisis. Getting older and growing old. Life doesn't make it easy for us, the peak of existence seems either a brief moment or never attainable at all due to the struggle of all our powers. Painfully, either we are too young to even understand the complexity of it all and handle it in the best possible way, or we are already so old that the real here and now can only be seen from the outside. This is where the two worlds collide for a summery moment, with far-reaching consequences. The resulting conflict, or conflicts, are quite something, especially the explosive nature of the male friendship. This makes the ending all the more implausible. As I said, more entertainment film than cinematic philosophising, that's up to the viewer.
