French teen movies and American teen movies used to be very different. The stereotypical American teen movie is about a group of male virgins trying to "lose it" and having all kinds of (allegedly) hilarious misadventures. They can be serious, but usually veer between completely frivolous and saccharine or sappy. French teen movies usually involve GIRLS and are more serious and perhaps sophisticated (if only because they have a more adult audience). They usually take place on a beach holiday, as opposed to a high school, where the girl or girls are more surrounded by adults, and they often "lose" it to a much older man in a much more sexually graphic fashion. In fact, they might be termed "coming of age" movies more than teen movies.
For better or worse (probably worse), French teen movies are becoming more like American ones. This movie is set in a high school and it is about two teenagers making a pact to "lose it". But the two protagonists are GIRLS and the conflict comes not because they have any trouble "losing it", but the ramifications afterward. One girl is regarded as a "slut" for spontaneously having sex in the locker room of a butcher shop where they all work after school. And the other girl feels peer pressure from the actions of her friend. Naturally, the boys in the clique take advantage of the situation.
Obviously, these days people are leery about showing teen sex (even in France). Modern French teen movies seem to either contain graphic sex scenes, but with older actors who obviously aren't teens (like "Cold Showers" and "La Vie d'Adele"), OR they are like this movie and use more believable teen actors, but make the sex more circumspect--and have silly scenes like one where a girl loses her virginity then gets out of bed with all her underwear on. The days of Catherine Breillat films like "36 Fillette" and "To My Sister" where you had believable teenagers AND believable sexual encounters are probably over, but the French do have the edge on Hollywood still with regards to pretty much anything to do with sex.
What the French and American movies always have in common though is using an actors who are simply too attractive to be very believable even if they are somewhat age appropriate. Christa Theret was probably 16 or 17 here, but she is a lot more believable in the otherwise much dumber teen movie "LOL" because in that she plays the most beautiful, popular girl in school, where in this she is supposedly more of an outcast goth girl everyone calls "Batman" (and why would a teenage girl choose to be a goth, if she's the ONLY goth in her school?). Even dressed in goth clothes, Christa Theret could probably get a lot of adult males 10 to 20 years in the Bastille and would probably have nothing to do with boys her own age. But despite a few stupid aspects like this, this isn't a bad movie. It's still better than your usual modern-day Hollywood teen flick.
For better or worse (probably worse), French teen movies are becoming more like American ones. This movie is set in a high school and it is about two teenagers making a pact to "lose it". But the two protagonists are GIRLS and the conflict comes not because they have any trouble "losing it", but the ramifications afterward. One girl is regarded as a "slut" for spontaneously having sex in the locker room of a butcher shop where they all work after school. And the other girl feels peer pressure from the actions of her friend. Naturally, the boys in the clique take advantage of the situation.
Obviously, these days people are leery about showing teen sex (even in France). Modern French teen movies seem to either contain graphic sex scenes, but with older actors who obviously aren't teens (like "Cold Showers" and "La Vie d'Adele"), OR they are like this movie and use more believable teen actors, but make the sex more circumspect--and have silly scenes like one where a girl loses her virginity then gets out of bed with all her underwear on. The days of Catherine Breillat films like "36 Fillette" and "To My Sister" where you had believable teenagers AND believable sexual encounters are probably over, but the French do have the edge on Hollywood still with regards to pretty much anything to do with sex.
What the French and American movies always have in common though is using an actors who are simply too attractive to be very believable even if they are somewhat age appropriate. Christa Theret was probably 16 or 17 here, but she is a lot more believable in the otherwise much dumber teen movie "LOL" because in that she plays the most beautiful, popular girl in school, where in this she is supposedly more of an outcast goth girl everyone calls "Batman" (and why would a teenage girl choose to be a goth, if she's the ONLY goth in her school?). Even dressed in goth clothes, Christa Theret could probably get a lot of adult males 10 to 20 years in the Bastille and would probably have nothing to do with boys her own age. But despite a few stupid aspects like this, this isn't a bad movie. It's still better than your usual modern-day Hollywood teen flick.