Un'estate con Sofia

This movie has the visual style of Call Me By Your Name and just as much action. It's a film set in the summer in Cannes and the main characters are two girl cousins who spend their time together. One, a 16 year naive that doesn't yet know what she wants and a 22 year one that has already found a calling in being an escort for rich men. That's it. The acting is good, the situations believable and we learn how actual people react in actual situations. Yet the film makes no effort in exploring the set up in depth. There are no artificial dramas either. Just a girl figuring herself out. And other than a few breast scenes, it's not particularly erotic either.

The story revolves around two very different cousins, Naima and Sofia. Sofia, the elder of them, 22 as we learn later, decided to make a living as a good time girl. With her great looks, although much enhanced through surgery, she is very successful in getting in contact with rich, elder men. By accepting expensive presents from them and staying for awhile in their circle until the get bored and find a way to get rid of her, she lives well without a regular work.

This summer of the story she stays with her younger cousin Naima in Cannes where she starts to give Naima little bits of advise how to get around in the world. Naima, only 16 at the time, is rather naive at the beginning, but in the course of the summer, she gets wise to Sofia and starts to see her in a much less admiring light.

Although the title of the film points to Sofia, it is Naima, who is the more interesting character. Sofia already had made her decision how to tackle life, Naima is drawn between the "glamourous" life, which Sofia seems to lead, and normal friendships like Dodo, a young, probably gay, guy who wants to become an actor. And jobs, as her mother, who works as a maid at a very fancy hotel and restaurant, who offers her an internship at the restaurant's kitchen.

Naima is for some time very confused by the sudden mixup with the life of two 40 year old men, one the owner of a yacht, the other his paid companion. While the owner Andrè certainly prefers Sofia and soon has sex with her, the other one, Phillipe, is more respectful towards Naima and figures correctly, that she is still a minor, and keeps his distance.

The whole story is a coming-of-age drama around Naima, who likes her cousin, although she sees things through her, that are shocking.

I didn't know the background of the actress who played Sofia, but I found she looked perfect for the role. Now I know why. As for the young girl who played Naima, she has the more demanding acting role and she handles it very well. Recommendable film!

Naïma (Jiang Rong) is almost 16 years old and lives in Cannes at her mother's house. Her family receives the impromptu visit of her Parisian cousin Sofia (Zahia Dehar), a young woman with a silhouette as divine as artificial. Naïma will spend an unforgettable summer on a luxury yacht along the French Riviera, with Sofia as well as Philippe (Benoît Magimel) and Andres (Nuno Lopes), two forty-year-old men, wealthy and attractive. Thus, she will get to know herself better and leave her adolescence to finally take life in her own hands.

The French title, i.e. « une fille facile » meaning an 'easy' woman, is deliberately provocative and tantalizing quite as the choice of the deliberately inflammatory Zahia Dehar who was a hot news topic, one decade ago, because of a scandal with a part of the French soccer team using the services of this juvenile call girl. This is slightly misleading. In my humble opinion, the focus is also on Naïma and a pivotal period of her life thanks to Sofia and Philippe.

As a postscript, 1) The incident with the collector's sextant is far-fetched and particularly disappointing: a real weakness in the script. 2) I would personally have imagined the end scene punctuated by the song 'My way' popularized in 1969 by Frank Sinatra. Why? Well, she obviously found it, didn't she?

I really, really love the simple style of the movie. It's billed as a 'Coming of Age' movie by a lot of reviews and ratings. I'm not sure I am of the belief that at 16, is there really a time period in a person's life that coming of age is all figured out by one short summer. Dealing with the unknown world that exists around you as you live. Can an out of school lark around an beautiful, yet bustling resort town that you live all your life really give you the opportunity to 'figure out youself' and know what you are and what you want to be. This is an interesting story about 2 cousins, 1, Sofia is 22 yet is living her life carefree and gives the perona of a much older soul. Dealing with her mourning for her recently lost mother, living off the 'generosity' of older, wealthy men in exchange for a piece of herself. Is she as free and happy as she gives the impression most the time. Or is she the sad, lonely, confused young lady that she reveals in a few short scenes with Maia.

Very good acting by the 2 main ladies. Supporting cast in the men and her mother is well done. As you would expect in a film shot in a fabulous, gorgeous setting like Canne, the cinematography is absolutely amazing. I also took note afterward that I really enjoyed the Directors use of subtle background music and soft luster of water sounds, low voices and at most time, calmness. This IMO is definitely worth a watch. I was pleasantly surprised about the reality also about no abundant over zealous nudity or sex to get the writers points across.

Strong points:

• Having grown up in the area where this was recorded, I thought it successfully captured the pace of life and the type of people one would find in Cannes

• Pleasant watch, dialogue between the characters flows well and naturally for the most part

• Zahia's acting somehow works. It is quite monotone, although I imagine her casting might have more to do with her reputation than her acting ability. The calmness and seeming detachment of the character creates an air of mystery, an aura of sophistication.

Weaker points:

• The silent, complicit naiveté of Mina Farid works up to a certain degree. There is a point where she begins to express more of a personality (through her exchanges with Philippe) but it does not seem to build up to anything in particular, which I thought was a shame.

• The film is pleasant but uneventful. I wouldn't watch it again but I also wouldn't dissuade anyone from watching it.