Set in a beautiful corner of the French Riviera, this coming-of-age drama centers on Cécile (Lily McInerny) a young woman spending the summer with her widowed father Raymond (Claes Bang) and his current girlfriend Elsa (Nailia Harzoune) at his lovely mansion in the hills above the sea. Elsa is a dancer, and she and Cécile have totally hit it off. And Cécile is also having a whole lot of fun with a hot guy named Cyril (Aliocha Schneider) who lives next door. But the surprise arrival of her mother’s old friend Anne (Chloë Sevigny) suddenly throws a wrench in the fun times they’re all having together.
Anne is the very opposite of Elsa, questioning Cécile about not studying over the summer and disapproving of her relationship with the boy next door. And generally getting on her nerves. But Raymond has a very different take on Anne, and before you know it, Elsa is history and Anne is his fiancée. And Cécile is not having it. So she cooks up a way to sabotage their relationship with Elsa’s and Cyril’s help.
A lot of the film is languid. Sitting in the sun. Hanging out with Raymond and Elsa. Cécile lying on the beach with Cyril tracing shapes on his back. Quiet and peaceful. But Anne’s arrival upends that tranquility. She’s a fashion designer, and a lot more type-A than anyone else in the house. But one of the faults with the film is you don’t see what Raymond sees in her. Perhaps it is miscasting Chloë Sevigny in the role. She feels entirely too matronly for him. The ease and joy you saw with Elsa is missing. But then again, the story is from Cécile‘s perspective.
The film is an adaptation of a bestselling French novel written by 18-year-old Francoise Sagan and was already made into a hit movie, but I guess enough time has passed for a remake. The original was directed by Otto Preminger in 1958 and starred David Niven, Jean Seburg, and Deborah Kerr. And I can’t say I remember ever seeing it. I imagine the sensibilities have changed since then but the bones of the story still make for a good plot.
In theaters May 2nd.