hot and sad : how the french do coming of age

Bonjour blog. Similar to most degenerate drowning in media 16 year old girls I've seen my fair share of coming of age films. However fuck your ladybirds and perks of being a whatever because I’m talking about the insufferable french.

As of late i've immersed myself in this subcategory of film and I’ve noticed some things about how the french do coming of age. First off, everyone is sickeningly beautiful.

Just absolutely gorgeous people. A common theme in these films is "I’m so hot every man is chasing after me and i'm also depressed because nobody gets me!!!!!" to sum it up. Second, (which correlates to the first) is the feeling of yearningggggg just seeping though the screen. I'm going to dive into 3 films and explain how they are superb, pretentious, irritating, and why I love them and how they do the teenage melodrama justice. (or the opposite)

Featuring Louis Garrel!

La Belle Personne (The Beautiful Person) 2008 dir. Christopher Honoré

As the New York Times sums it best, "New Girl Comes to Town: Cue Adolescent Dramatics" Honestly, this movie is so fucking ridiculous. But then again, we have a very beautiful brooding Louis Garrel on screen sooooo...... points for that. The central plot revolves around a girl grieving over her mothers death so she's sad and emotionally unavailable. (and hot!) She comes to a new school and everyone sees how beautiful she is and falls in love with her. Especially her teacher....... (hot Louis Garrel) and thus the yearning begins. The main character Junie is cold and distant with her "voluptuous sullenness" (the Times said it not me) and the enhanced dramatics of this film truly make it a french coming of age. This movie gets so outlandish that Junie's boyfriend (who she was very aloof and disinterested in might i add) throws himself off some school balcony when he mistakenly thinks she was making out with her teacher. In true Godard-like iconography, Honoré mimics the Jean Pierre Léaud & Anna Karina archetype perfectly here. Visually beautiful, but fails to provide any substance.

The Dreamers (2003) dir. Bernardo Bertolucci

Oh now if you wanna talk pretentious lets talk The Dreamers. Bertolucci's masterpiece in my opinion. Fair warning this film gets fucking gross and weird and freaky but its in the name of good art??? I’m not too sure about this one. There is a very heavy incest plotline throughout the film but overall it mimics the trope of young people being drunkenly philosophical in paris. This one excretes pretentiousness with the film refrences alone and the sexual nature of everything that follows can be extremely off putting to most. However if you are opened minded with film you might enjoy this for the stunning portrait of youth in paris being absolute menaces to society. Yes this is about incestuous parisians and their little american pet. But something about this one is both unsettling and charming to me. To quote my letterboxd, “Perfect for horny french new wave cinephiles.” Sorry for the discombobulated piece you’ll have to watch this for yourself to form an opinion on this bizzare one. Visually breathtaking though. Fuck the incest plotline for messing up what would have been perfect film.

starring Louis Garrel!

Á Nous Amours (1983) dir. Maurice Pialat

I saved the best for last, with arguably one of the best coming of age films and one of my favorite films of all time. Á Nous Amours explores 16 year old Suzanne and her sleeping around to escape her deteriorating home life. This film does a tremendous job exploring the product of teenage abuse and how that correlates to budding sexuality and promiscuity. Á Nous Amours is a perfect display of girlhood , and how society has ingrained women to only feel fufilled when with a man. One of the most prolific quotes in the film is when Suzanne is talking to her physically and mentally abusive brother about her suicidal thoughts and struggles in which she says “I’m only happy when I’m with a guy.”, which poses many important questions on womanhood and romantic desire. Suzanne personifies the corrupted notion of free will and sexuality that blooms during girlhood. The perfect depiction of growing into ones self and the overwhelming sadness that comes with growing.

Well that’s my piece! I start junior year next week and i’m really excited and anxious because this is the structure and vigoruous routine that i’ve been missing and longing for this past year. Will be dancing everyday next year and am ready to get into full ballerina mode. I”ll try to update the blog as best i can during school!!! I have 3 more days of freedom left so those will be spent doing my ap lit summer homework and going to the independent movie theater. I’m also eccstatic for fall and winter as those are my favorite times of being and they feed my melancholy perfectly.

xoxoox emi marie taylor