Being a girl pubescent is a bitch. It makes you act like a bitch and it makes you amazed when your friends act like bitches. No one understands you, your body is exactly what it’s not supposed to be and you’ve just fallen in love.

Welcome to the world of Marie, Anne and Florine – the heroines/victims in Celine Sciamma’s Water Lillies.

Set in the Parisienne suburb of Cergy, or more exactly its public swimming pool, our trio try to keep their heads above the turbulent emotional waters of adolescence.

Marie, the central character, is skinny, gawky, intense and has fallen in love with Florine. She hangs around her to the detrement of her childhood friendship with Anne. Anne thinks she’s fat but is awkwardly forthright. Florine is the head of the local award-winning synchronised swimming team. She is beautiful, has boys (and Marie) falling at her feet and seems to have it all.

Of course all is not what it seems to be on the surface. Florine seems to be the femme fatale; going from biy to boy and not caring. Her fellow swimmers hate her for the same reason the boys love her – they think she easy. The truth is that she’s a virgin, terrified of anyone finding out she’s a ‘nice girl’.

Then Marie comes into her life. She seems to actually like her and want to be her friend but there is more to Marie than meets the eye. Underneath Marie’s asexual body is a burning sexuality, a real sexual desire for Florine. She seems to be a ‘good girl’ but given half the chance …….

Then there is Anne. She has the fully developed body of a young woman but jealous girls call her fat. She’s called ugly and it seems no boy could ever want her. In fact she’s having a clandestine sexual relationship with the coolest boy in town (the guy Florine refuses to sleep with). While all the girls snog and never shag, a snog is all Anne wants.

Marie is the brains of the film, all pursed pout and intense eyes. Florine is the body of the film, she has no idea what to think or how to be strong so she uses her beauty to get alone. Anne is the heart, she’s brave, honest and is the only one who goes for what/who she wants in a direct way.

Water Lillies is a slow film, with the girls’ desires, insecurities and friendships developing almost in realtime. It’s a perfectly pitched look at nascent female sexuality and all of the crap that comes with it. The actors are scarily pitch-perfect and the direction spot on. Suffice to say, Water Lillies is so good you’ll come out completely over-the-moon that you’re an adult.

Popularity: 1% [?]

No related posts.