This jaw dropping drama from France and director Joel Seria is sleazy and exploitative enough to understand all too well why it would get banned for blasphemy. The girls in the leads were older than what they were playing, but that doesn't make some of their scenes any less uncomfortable. His basic story of innocence allowing itself to be corrupted has a great deal of impact, especially since that innocence never completely goes away; these two girls remain pretty naive about the things that they do, and ultimately panic when they think that all will be discovered. This is all shot in a pretty straightforward way, and it's acted in an awfully convincing manner.
Anne (brunette Jeanne Goupil) and Lore (blonde Catherine Wagener) are two girls, barely into their teens, who meet in a Catholic school and become intrigued with reading material that has been deemed forbidden. They get it into their heads to renounce God and devote themselves to Satan. Determined that their friendship survive no matter what, they start indulging in all sorts of bad behaviour, teasing and tormenting various older men. They cross a line when their attempts to seduce a motorist (Bernard Dheran) end badly.
The uninitiated may well come to believe that, based on the films' reputation, that sleaze is all it has to offer, but it's also a tragic and upsetting story of adolescent curiosity. Certainly it's disturbing to watch as these kids commit arson, engage in acts of animal cruelty, and flaunt their bodies in front of men. The music by Claude Germain & Dominique Ney is haunting, there is a very literate quality to some of the dialogue, and the film does have a beautiful look courtesy of the cinematographer, Marcel Combes. It's also clear that Seria is critical of the Catholic church and is commenting on the idle rich as well.
Once you see that disturbing finale, it will be pretty hard to forget it.
This may play to a fairly limited audience but they're sure to find it worth viewing.
Eight out of 10.
Anne (brunette Jeanne Goupil) and Lore (blonde Catherine Wagener) are two girls, barely into their teens, who meet in a Catholic school and become intrigued with reading material that has been deemed forbidden. They get it into their heads to renounce God and devote themselves to Satan. Determined that their friendship survive no matter what, they start indulging in all sorts of bad behaviour, teasing and tormenting various older men. They cross a line when their attempts to seduce a motorist (Bernard Dheran) end badly.
The uninitiated may well come to believe that, based on the films' reputation, that sleaze is all it has to offer, but it's also a tragic and upsetting story of adolescent curiosity. Certainly it's disturbing to watch as these kids commit arson, engage in acts of animal cruelty, and flaunt their bodies in front of men. The music by Claude Germain & Dominique Ney is haunting, there is a very literate quality to some of the dialogue, and the film does have a beautiful look courtesy of the cinematographer, Marcel Combes. It's also clear that Seria is critical of the Catholic church and is commenting on the idle rich as well.
Once you see that disturbing finale, it will be pretty hard to forget it.
This may play to a fairly limited audience but they're sure to find it worth viewing.
Eight out of 10.