Noce blanche

It's been over a decade since I saw this film, but I do remember it rather fondly. It showed sensitivity for the characters as well as the subject matter, instead of being exploitative. At the same time, it was quite frank in dealing with the story and of course, it ends tragically. I also remember being impressed with Vanessa Paradis, both for playing a difficult role deftly, and for her physical beauty. It was only recently that I became aware of her real-life relationship (being Johnny Depp's girlfriend).

I would love to see the film again, but it seems it hasn't been widely circulated on DVD, and the R2 disc is hard to find. What a pity.

Vanessa Paradis is most famous today as American superstar Johnny Depp's longtime girlfriend, but she is also a FRENCH actress, which means she, of course, she has an early role where she plays a nubile teen in love with a middle-aged man. The French penchant for drooling over beautiful teenage girls may be annoying to some, but is it really worse than the American/Hollywood penchant for pretending they're NOT drooling over the beautiful teenage girls that seem to find their way into every other movie somewhere? But really there is no "eew" factor here--there are no on-camera sex scenes between the man and the girl, and 17 or not, a few shots of a naked Vanessa Paradis are not going to make ANYONE go "eew".

The bigger problem with these French "lolita" movies is the plausibility. Middle-age men don't generally date teenage girls, not because they find them icky and physically unappealing, but because they're very rarely as worldly and sophisticated as the fictional nymphets in these French movies. Moreover, even in France very few girls that age are probably too interested in ennui-filled men old enough to be their spry young grandfathers. It's actually understandable that the married middle-aged philosophy teacher in this movie would fall in love with his brilliant but troubled student since she is absolutely beautiful (clothed and unclothed) and wise beyond her years. But Paradis' character is supposed to be this streetwise urchin who has dabbled in prostitution in the past, and it is a little hard to believe she'd fall madly, obsessively in love with a fifty year man just because he shows her some kindness. (Also, while 17 may not get you twenty in a French bastile, I'm pretty sure it would get you kicked out of the teaching profession).

Paradis is indeed pretty good in this (although she would be better playing another troubled teenager a few years later in "Elisa"). And this movie is definitely well-made with some memorable scenes of sad beauty. It still remains somewhat of a middle-age male sex fantasy however, which doesn't make it at all distasteful, but does make it somewhat implausible.

Noce Blanche is a story where a philosophy teacher falls in love with a "wayward" 17-year-old student of his. Viewings of this will likely be motivated by the subject matter, however the film does offer up substantial insight into the human condition. What is very interesting about children, especially bright ones, is that they can see through the hypocrisies of the adult world through all our false pride and double standards, and love means everything to them. They are trumped by the muscularity, cynicism, experience and judgement of adults. But they see through us, Mathilde sees straight away that François, despite a wife, career, and friends, is completely alone in the world, she sees it because it is obvious and she has not been desensitised.

There are two particularly interesting philosophical ideas that come up in François' classes, that we are the unknowing accomplices of our "other self" the subconscious, prisoners of its fate, and also that people who choose to study metaphysics, choose death, as a preference over life.

The aesthetics of the movie are very subtle, it could easily be mistaken for one of those French dramas where the camera is simply pointed at the actors, but there is a palette of blue and greys here, and I ended up freezing the view a few times to admire the stills. It is far from being ostentatious or mannered however.

The story ends up feeling quite Grecian in the end, but who am I to say unrealistic, reality is almost always stranger than fiction. Works for purposes of titillation for sure, but also has great depths. Two successful watches in a row from Brisseau for me, following on from The Girl From Nowhere, more adventures to come!

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.

I remember seeing this movie for the first time and about 15 more times over the years. When I was young it was a lot because of Vanessa's beauty and slightly because of the plot. Over the years the truth behind the story, the way the film unfolds, made me realize how emotional I get every time I see it. It's something all of us have gone through in one form or another. My heart went out to Mathilde and her feelings. Add to that the scenery and the atmosphere and you have the perfect tear bearer movie. Excellent acting and wise choice of actors make the movie very believable. You sympathize with all the characters and feel there emotions. A great movie for a rainy night.