Naissance des pieuvres

Three teenage girls in an incomplete triangular relation. The base of the triangle is barely there. At the apex is Marie, a serious, short and lean tomboy with a Belmondo-like facial structure. Her best friend is the physical and psychological opposite: coquette, chubby -- I dare say fat -- and desirous for her first kiss with a boy but not quite ready for her first sexual encounter. Because of her chubbiness, boys don't seem interested and it pains her.

The other leg of the apex is a beautiful "fille fatale" blonde vamp. She is deeply involved in the sport of synchronized swimming performing at competitive level. Marie sees her during a competition at the local public swimming pool. Marie insinuates herself into the life of the vamp using the desire to become a synchronized swimmer as an argument. The vamp has a reputation of being a whore, making out with any young male that orbits around her. Marie is not phased out by that reputation. Put a stress on reputation.

The first half is set up. We get to see a lot of synchronized swimming as we become familiar with the three girls. Eventually the narrative leaves synchronized swimming behind and concentrates on the topsy-turvy relations among the three. That's when unexpected things start to happen.

It is a trademark of French films to drop nuggets of wisdom on the viewer. This one is no exception. Here it is about ceilings and the dying. See the film to learn more.

The director says that the use of synchronized swimming is purposeful. That women-only sport is a metaphor for a girl's life: pretty and feminine on the surface while hard working and competitive underneath. A number of scenes drive this point: elegant moves and smiles for the public, legs kicking ungainly underwater. The title in French is also suggestive: "prieuve", or octopus, suggest an individual having to juggle many pressures simultaneously.

Water Lilies 1/30/2010

This is an amazingly fearless movie that tackles issues no Hollywood studio would touch. "Water Lilies" is a French film that deals with the lives of three distinct teen female characters and their very real struggles. Set in the world of synchronized swimming, director Celine Sciamma takes you on a disturbingly honest depiction of the lives of modern teenage girls.

The sport of synchronized swimming is very similar to the internal struggles of each of the girls, with all of the furious action and kicking occurring just under the surface. Marie is a fifteen year old tom boyish girl that tends to keep to herself. She is short and is envious of the older more developed girls. She is best friends with the second main girl Anna. She is overweight and often resorts to childish behavior. She fears growing up and being alone. Then there is Floriane the hottest girl in school and captain of the swim team. All of these characters share many of the same problems and deal with them in very different ways. When Marie sees Floriane perform at a school swim meet she quickly becomes enamored with her. Her grace, beauty and popularity make most all the girls in school envious. Marie makes a deal with her so she can watch the team practice. In return Marie has to be the reason for Floriane to leave the house at night to hook up with random boys. Floriane seems to have everything under control and lives a perfect life, but we find out that can't be further from the truth. Her beauty makes her feel like an outsider, as she sticks out in a crowed. Other girls are jealous and mean to her, as she is looked upon as the school slut.

No matter who we are or how we look everybody has body image issues and this is further compounded by the popular media. Television, movies, and magazine mold young minds into thinking what is normal and what is acceptable. Anna and Floriane like the same guy, François. There a few scenes between Marie and Floriane that will make certain audiences extremely uncomfortable. That has developed a sort of controversy between groups of people. Some think that the film is nothing but a cheap exploitation of teen sex. Maybe there would be more of a basis for an argument if the film was made by a man, but it wasn't. Director Celine Sciamma looks to takes great care and sensitivity to the actors and the story. This film is not for everyone but you will get hooked by the likable true to life characters.

A mystical and intensely eerie take on the coming age movie.

Kind of reminded me of Black Swan though there is no movie quite like it; the hypnotic, even dreamlike visual style captures lyricism and moroseness that play off each other.

It's a secret world of the girl, removed from the prying eyes of parents or guardians who don't appear at all, on a warped personal journey in pursuit of beauty and mutual love but does it all in such a breezy way that cuts out all the stuff that makes Lifetime movies insufferable.

I suggest watching it alone.

I saw it at Cinema MK2 Hautefeuille just one night after its first public projection in Paris. A very pretty film about three 15 years old teenagers, all of them just at about the same psychologically stages. Many of the scenes let us to come back to our adolescence age & our first feelings about sexual relations. it is possible to imagine that the director would like to reduce the first strong sensual feelings of the girls to lesbianism, but even in that case she doesn't corrupt the likelihood of the story. You can sometimes find the film a little slow but it is what creates this intimate atmosphere. I fund the young actresses of talent, special mention with Floriane and Marie, very convincing. There are many small details but this film also enabled me to discover what synchronized swimming is: impressing!

Not everything is said in this excellent first feature from Céline Sciamma. The friendship, the "wanting to fit in", the first sexual feelings... All this and much more is sublimated through the underwater synchro swimming scenes.

All three girls in the movie try to find and express their personality in a very different way. It is a much less violent approach to the understanding of the teenage years compared to, say, "Thirteen", but a very worthwhile trip nonetheless.

A must see, and please leave all American cinematographic preconceptions at he door. The soundtrack is A+ by the way.

Bon cinéma !