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Such a beautiful movie. It’s a really skillful, tense look at those sensitive teenage years full of confusion and insecurity. There are just so many emotions here that feel universal, and everything we see happens mostly beneath the surface, without needing much dialogue.
The camerawork is gorgeous, and the editing too—the transitions are really smooth. The music plays a huge role here, just like the dancing does. Whether it’s when Alan dances alone (thinking he's by himself, so he's totally free—that scene was great) or when the dance becomes a way of entering or leaving someone's personal space. Touch is such a key element; everything feels subtly erotic and sensual. Body movement is a big deal for Dennis. And the stripping is always about much more than just getting naked.
Gregoire Collin was excellent, and Alice Houin was wonderful; they clearly have this intense connection. They played brother and sister in 'Nénette et Boni' later on, too. I haven't seen that film in ages, but besides the character similarities, I remember it having that same heavy physical and emotional intimacy—the kind of intensity usually reserved for romantic partners.
With everything you guys wrote, I have a different take... I actually think it's good that that part isn't explicitly shown. It feels like Dennis is intentionally leaving it up to the viewer to decide:
I also think Marlene is only experienced on the surface. While they're getting ready and doing makeup, she's just repeating what she's been told and learned to Martine. She wants to project that image to the world, maybe even to Alan, because she likes him—we see that at the start. As for the other question, since they're shown semi-clothed in the first long scene and she looks visibly tense, but then in the other scene from Martine's perspective they are completely naked, it seems to me that sex actually happened. But for her, it was either bad or painful (or both). His angry reaction and his later whining about how all girls are easy says a lot more than a purposefully blurry scene ever could. Regarding the music, yeah, that Prince song was great; it breaks the tension in the car perfectly. And all the Animals and drone tracks are somehow the most impactful because they follow the scenes that drive the plot. I loved the moments where dancing becomes fun for Martine, just for herself, rather than for others. First, she danced with that laid-back, fun guy right before the creepy guy showed up, and after that guy's failed attempt, I specifically remember the scene with
'in the midnight hour'. 🙂
And Martine made a good choice... in the end. It's probably not a coincidence that Dennis
chooses her so often. 🙂
I went to look up who else filmed in that series 'all the boys and girls of their age,' so I had to watch the third part directed by Chantal Akerman, titled 'Portrait of a Young Girl at the End of the 60s in New York'. It might be slightly weaker in the writing, but the directing is still amazing. The lead actress carries the whole thing; she's great! There's also this awesome scene involving a pretty bold theft of some vinyl records, which ties back to this week's album.
From what I can tell, the goal for the TV series was for nine different directors to make a short story about growing up during the era they themselves grew up in, provided there's at least one party and some dancing scenes. It seems like every piece is somewhat autobiographical, so it's pretty obvious who the director (was) in our film.
