Directed by Francois Ozon
6/10
Like almost any
other French film, Jeune & Jolie
is very French. This time it’s Francois Ozon telling a story of a pretty
17-year-old girl who becomes aware of her sexuality and starts working as a
prostitute. You will see Paris, you will hear Francoise
Hardy playing in the backround, and you will wonder whether this is crude or romantic.
Ozon’s previous
film, In The House, was brilliant. Whatever was provocative about it remained more or less understated,
and you had an intriguing, cleverly scripted story to follow. This time,
though, the plot seems weak, and regrettably Ozon seems content with it.
The film looks gorgeous and those who are in it look gorgeous too.
The girl is indeed jolie, and when
you witness the miserable perverts abusing and insulting her – the desired effect is certainly reached.
It’s not pretty. However, there’s one who treats her like a gentleman (yes,
I know how it sounds), and naturally he’s the only one she comes back to again
and again..
It’s a
well-executed film, and there’s enough thought-provoking stuff you can get out
of it. The problem is, the story lacks depth and seems too contrived to be in
any way emotional. And it all comes to a particularly far-fetched ending that
tells us what sort of fanciful ideas Ozon is having these days. I’m not getting
into details, but let’s just say it’s interesting,
and if you buy it – well, there's definitely some of that French blood in you.
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