Mr Nemours (Louis Garrel), tall and with matineé-idol Italian good looks, teaches Italian at a mixed school in Paris, and fornicates with female teachers and pupils. Pretty Junie (Léa Seydoux), with long wavy black hair and contemplative face is the new girl - her mother died a couple of weeks ago and she's decided a new school is what she needs. Her father lives far away so she's staying with her aunt and cousin Matthias (Esteban Carvajal-Alegria), a fellow pupil. They're all about 17 / 18. At the school the sarcastic English teacher (Dominic Gould) mocks her posh accent - it's a slightly down-at-heel school but not violently urban. The classrooms have broken plaster on the walls and the school is a grand building with walkway balconies three storeys high above a courtyard. Blonde-haired Otto (Grégoire Leprince-Ringuet) falls quickly in love with foxy Junie. Tousle-haired Henri (Simon Truxillo) is the class bad-boy, baiting the teachers a bit but not too much; he's sensual and intellectual with a liking for classical opera. Mr Nemours has been shagging frisky teacher Florence Perrin (Valerie Lang); he's also been with pupil Catherine (Anaïs Demoustier) who remains in love with him - 'Fours fucks, is that a relationship?' she asks when he dumps her. Marie (Agathe Bonitzer) and Jacob (Jacob Lyon) watch the intrigues - Marie's up to one of her own.

Half the film's action takes place in school, the rest is in the parks and elegant streets of the middle-class neighbourhood - and in the Café Sully, which provides coffee in the days and drinks and meals in the nights. It's the home from home for pupils and staff alike, and it's presided over by amply-built mother-confessor Nicole (Chantal Neuwirth). Nicole has kindly advice and companionship for all, though, as she confides to naughty Nemours, 'I haven't been French-kissed for 21 years'.

There are various devices to bind and sever the characters, one of which is a letter found in a cinema. The class and some staff have gone to a film and scheming Marie finds a letter which she says has fallen from the pocket of Nemours. Junie thinks its from him to her - it's a love letter. But it's from Martin (Martin Siméon) to Matthias. All this time they've been involved, and Junie hasn't noticed. Nor has Henri who has been passionately in love with Matthias. This is appalling news for poor Esther (Esther Garrel) who has been an item with Henri for a long time. The emotional temperature soars, with Henri in conflict with Matthias, and Otto hurt and jealous about the obvious latent (and not so latent) passion between Junie and Mr Nemous. Violence and tragedy could beckon. Will they?

Director Christophe Honoré presents a romantic and adventurous story told in sharp dialogue - script by Christophe Honoré and Gilles Taurand - with emotionally perceptive photography from Laurent Brunet. There's a compelling soundtrack, made up of songs, poems and a fine original score from Alex Beaupain. Editing is right on the button, cut sensually to bring out the passions that bubble and storm all the way from start to end - it's by Chantal Hymans (film editor) and Nicolas Bouvet (sound editor). Subtitles, which pretty much keep up with the convulutions of mood, plot, poetry and meaningful glances, are by Charles Masters.

The story is based on the novel La Princesse de Clèves (1678) by Marie Madeleine Pioche de la Vergne aka Madame de La Fayette (1634-1693), a drama of court intrigue. (Further info at Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Princesse_de_Clèves). What holds the film together so powerfully is the intensity which the main actors bring to the parts. Louis Garrel looks meaningful, Latin and handsome as Mr Nemours. Léa Seydoux looks pretty, intense, intellectual, French and sensual as Junie. But it's not just their good looks, in and perhaps it's not even their good looks. Each provides a performance rich in emotional depth, gently under-acted, with sharp impact. And that's true of each of the characters, playing large or small parts. It's an ensemble cast playing to each other in a wholly convincing way, with fine, convincing evocations from Agathe Bonitzer (Marie), Jacob Lyon (Jacob), Simon Truxillo (Henri), Esteban Carvajal-Alegria) (Matthias), Grégoire Leprince-Ringuet (Otto), and particularly from Anaïs Demoustier as gentle, discarded, accepting Catherine.

CAST (alpha order): Louka Anargyros. Thomas Anargyros. Gabriel Attal. Jeanne Audiard - Jeanne. Thomas Ayouti. Clément Bertommeau. Agathe Bonitzer - Marie. Adèle Boulanger. Elise Boutie. Alice Butaud - La Prof De Russe. Esteban Carvajal-Alegria - Matthias. Martin Chauchat. Hugo Cohen. Kéthévane Davrichewy. Anaïs Demoustier - Catherine. Tanel Derard - Tanel. François-Paul Doussot. Esther Garrel - Esther. Louis Garrel - Nemours. Dominic Gould - Le prof d'Anglais. Marvyn Halfon. Clotilde Hesme - La Documentaliste. Julien Honoré. Paulette Honoré-Peyre. Chantal Hymans. Mathilde Incerti - La Prof De Français. Antonin Jenny. Nans Laborde-Jourdàa. Valerie Lang - Florence Perrin. Medhi Laroui. Ming Fai Sham Laurenco. Jean-Marc Léon. Grégoire Leprince-Ringuet - Otto. Willy Leservot. Eurialle Livaudais. Jacob Lyon - Jacob. Chiara Mastroianni - La Jeune Femme Dans Le Café. Emilie Morvany. Julian Myron. Chantal Neuwirth - Nicole - La Patronne Du Café Sully. Bethsabée Ory. Cendrin Perthuis. Alain Pointier. Jean-Michel Portal - Estouteville. William Roberge. Richard Rousseau. Léa Seydoux - Junie. Martin Siméon - Martin. Simon Truxillo - Henri. Candice Zaccagnino - La Remplaçante. Credits Source - www.imdb.com (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1263778) at 6 October 08.

COMPANY: Director - Christophe Honoré. Screenplay Writers - Christophe Honoré, Gilles Taurand. Writer of Novel La Princesse de Clèves (1678) - Marie Madeleine Pioche de la Vergne aka Madame de La Fayette (1634-1693). Producers - Sophie Barrat, Florence Dormoy, Joëy Faré. Original Music by - Alex Beaupain. Cinematographer - Laurent Brunet. Film Editor - Chantal Hymans. Casting by - Richard Rousseau. Production Designer - Samuel Deshors. Art Director - Emmanuelle Cuillery. Sound Editor - Nicolas Bouvet. Boom Operator - Laurent Cercleux. Boom Operator - Julien Gigliotti. Sound Mixer - Guillaume Le Bras. Script Supervisor - Mikael Buch. Production Companies - Arte France, Scarlett Production. Distributor - Le Pacte (France theatrical). Release Date - 12 September 2008 (France). Runtime - 90 minutes. Country - France. Language - French. Colour - Colour. Credits Source - www.imdb.com (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1263778) at 6 October 08.

END

John Park

reviewed Monday 6 October 08 / press screening / NFT2, National Film Theatre, London

Fringe Report (c) Fringe Report 2002-2012

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