A stylish combination of intrigue and controversy will be screening exclusively at Cinema Nouveau theatres on Friday, 06 December. Young and Beautiful: The Portrait of a 17-year Old Girl in Four Seasons (Jeune et Jolie), directed by François Ozon is part of the Official Selection for this year’s Cannes Film Festival so if you’re a new wave movie goer, be sure not to miss out on this.
This provocative French-language drama (with English sub-titles) is a disturbing exploration of a teenager turning to prostitution as part of her adolescent crisis. The story focuses on a beautiful and relatively wealthy 17-year-old girl, Isabelle (Marine Vacth), who lives with her younger brother, (Fantin Ravat), her mother (Geraldine Pailhas) and stepfather (Frederic Pierrot).
Like many teenagers on the brink of finding themselves, Isabelle has secrets that she keeps hidden from her family. While other teens are experimenting with cigarettes and drugs as they try to unlock how they fit into the world, Isabelle enters a world of prostitution.
This coming of age tale is divided into four seasons – starting in summer at the family’s holiday villa in the South of France, then moving to Paris as Isabelle gradually becomes more entrenched in her dangerous and shrouded new life. Each season is characterised by an iconic Françoise Hardy song – The Love of a Boy, Why Even Try?, First Encounter and I am Me.
Isabelle’s first encounter is a desultory relationship with Felix (Lucas Prisor), a hunky German tourist. He is neither her emotional nor her intellectual equal, and she gives up her virginity to him, only to cast him aside without a care days later. In the autumn, Isabelle, back in Paris, sets up a website to accept appointments from ‘clients’ she meets for sex in chic hotel rooms.
She is a cool professional. But this does not mean Isabelle is immune to the effects of the sexual whims of, and occasional rough treatment from, men. It is only with one regular client that she allows herself to experience any pleasure. That is, until the unthinkable happens and she is forced to deal with the consequences of her decisions.
Presented over the course of four seasons, Ozon’s film provides an unprejudiced glimpse into the adolescent female psyche. While he subtly hints at an economic subtext, Ozon captures perfectly the sense of fearlessly searching for one’s unique identity and place in the world.
For more info or to book tickets, visit www.cinemanouveau.co.za or call 082 16789.
