Marion is a 14-year-old girl who is on holiday with her family by the sea in Normandy. But she soon comes into conflict with her mother and siblings. There she also meets a man named Marc, to whom she feels attracted, who sees her and desires her. Back in Paris, she visits him again. For the first time in her life, she will make love to him.
Acting
Isild Le Besco's restless physicality—every gesture screams wanting without knowing what.
Direction
Bercot's refusal to moralize, letting the camera linger where comfort would demand a cut.
Cinematography
Normandy light turned sinister—idyllic surfaces, rotting undertow.
Director
Emmanuelle Bercot
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Isild Le Besco was Bercot's actual sister, and the family beach scenes feature their real siblings—blurring documentary and fiction until the Marc material intrudes.
Bercot won the Palme d'Or for Best Short at Cannes 1999, sparking walkouts and debates about whether the film eroticized its subject or indicted its audience—France's critical establishment largely defended its artistic license while Anglo-American reception has grown more skeptical.
FR
