A Real Young Girl

only french could make such a movie

One hell of a good surprise.

I like sexually fearless movies that are willing to put on screen what's normally considered inappropriate. It's confrontational and humanizing, especially when it's done as skillfully as Breillat does it. I like this quote: "To Breillat innocence is little more than an imaginary state, something to yearn for while dealing with life, one orifice at a time."

Not even close to my cup of tea, but she's got a great body, I'll give her that.

A sullen 14 year old girl in rural France keeps a diary of her explorations of her budding sexuality in the early 60s. This includes flirting with half the men in town, experimenting with candle wax, vomit and piss, fantasies of sadism, and frequent masturbation with a dazzling variety of objects. Surprisingly dark and raw yet non-exploitative, featuring an incredibly brave performance from Charlotte Alexandra. Filmed in 1976 but not released until 1999.

Seen this a little while after it's '99 release date which was 20+ years after it's filmed date. I remember thinking it was quite different and risqué for the time because of it's rather graphic sexuality exploration. There is a definite and honest self-discovery message being told at the same time.

The most nihilistic film I've ever watched.

One of the more explicit and pervy examples of the female sexual awakening themed cinema of the 1970s, with just enough drama to transcend softcore porn. Also, much of it is too physically repugnant to maintain eroticism, which I appreciate as the most daring aspect of the film. Some of the overdubbed sound is really bad, but the original songs (Breillat wrote the lyrics and a Mort Shuman composed) are really cute. An interesting film, better than most sexploitation.