Uma Adolescente de Verdade

This film is rather difficult to review because it doesn't really have a plot to speak of, and it's clear that director Catherine Breillat was more keen on focusing on the art elements and detailing the sexual developments of a young girl than telling a story. This is the first film I've seen from Catherine Breillat, but given what I've read about her; it would seem that she enjoys directing films that focus on sexuality, and that would seem to be the case if this film is anything to go by. A Real Young Girl focuses on Alice Bonnard, a 'well developed' teenager who attends a boarding school and is spending the summer at her parents' house. She enjoys experimenting, and has a particular fascination with fluids, as she experiments with all sorts including urine and ear wax, as well as egg yolk and tanning cream. She becomes fixated on a man employed by her father, as well as a couple of other local men and her father, and the film basically follows her summer as things happen to her parents and she develops sexually.

Unlike most exploitation films, this one takes place from the woman's point of view, although the idea that all men are sex-obsessed perverts certainly shines through, and I wouldn't be surprised to find out that Catherine Breillat is a devout feminist, as there isn't one single decent male character in the whole film. The film rests a lot on its star Charlotte Alexandra, and she doesn't disappoint. Her performance is thoroughly realistic, and she also looks rather tasty, which is sure to delight the male viewers. I have to admit that I was expecting to be shocked going into the film, and while A Real Young Girl is liable to offend less well versed viewers; it would seem I've seen too much of this stuff as nothing in the film seemed too over the top to me. Catherine Breillat clearly isn't afraid to shock the viewers, however, as the film features plenty of nudity and other perverse scenes. The film features no suspense and the plot really just plods along, but it's well paced and while you know that the ending isn't going to provide much intrigue, it doesn't matter as anyone looking for a sexually charged film is likely to be satisfied.

"A Real Young Girl" is a slice-of-summer-life flick which follows a 17ish school girl's sexual exploration during a summer vacation with her parents on their farm. A brave and visceral character study, this first outing for controversial auteur Catherine Breillat spends 90% of the run examining the fantasies, autoerotic experimentation, and eventual heterosexual encounters of the girl who seems sexually fascinated with all things liquid. Though the film's darkish undercurrents of sexual aberration do portend better things to come from Breillat, it is not particularly interesting as a stand alone piece. Circa 1976 with no apparent remastering, the audio/video quality is poor with color shifts and graininess. Not for those squeamish about graphic sexual content, this film should play best with those interested in psychosexual dramas (B-)

Very internalized... ...like the subject matter.

Interesting topic; possibly even unique. But one portrayed in a meandering, long, and drawn-out manner that highlights the problem of French cinema- -being that most French films wouldn't pan out and be fully fleshed if released as two-and-a-half-minute pop videos.

Objectivity is something rarely seen in films nowadays; unfortunately, rarely seen anywhere in the media nowadays. But I'm not sure if this is an ethos that should be applied to film, because an engaging movie it does not make.

This is a type of film where reading the description of the movie is more thought-provoking and interesting than actually having to sit through it. To sum up, the film should have been titled "Une Vraire Vagin Pourri".

A Real Young Girl (1976)

*** (out of 4)

Fourteen year old Alice (Charlotte Alexandra) is on summer vacation when she starts to experiment with her sexuality. Most of this has her doing things to herself but soon she starts to lust after an older guy. This was made in 1975 but the producer's were so shocked that they kept it on the shelf until 2001, after director Catherine Breillat's Fat Girl became such a hit. I enjoyed Fat Girl a lot more but this film here was pretty good, although the strong sexual content and nudity will certainly make most shy away from it. The way the director explores women's sexuality is brave to say the least.

The film is very unusual at times and its sheer sexuality often gets too heavy. However it is certainly worth seeing, simply for its madness. And for the smoking hot Charlotte Alexandra. She alone is worth the price of admission. Shocking that the film's release was held up until 2000 (25 years later!) due to budgetary problems.