Described by her autobiographer as 'very personal', this film directed by Jeanne Moreau beautifully evokes the rural charm of central France, 'the land of sleeping volcanoes'. And then goes on to look at the coming of age of a young girl.
Simone Signoret is a solid anchor for the other performances and helps us overlook the film's weaknesses, which include syrupy music, and a content that is heavily laden with childish silliness for an adult audience but maybe too frank (at least in their parents' eyes) for younger viewers.
It concerns a young girl's growing pains, her horror and embarrassment at periods, her infatuation with an older man, competition with mother for his affections, and eventually choosing the right path for the wrong reasons. As a role model, the girl (Marie) is complex and illustrative rather than exemplary, although it handles the need for separation from a mother's influence more realistically than most films would.
Simone Signoret is a solid anchor for the other performances and helps us overlook the film's weaknesses, which include syrupy music, and a content that is heavily laden with childish silliness for an adult audience but maybe too frank (at least in their parents' eyes) for younger viewers.
It concerns a young girl's growing pains, her horror and embarrassment at periods, her infatuation with an older man, competition with mother for his affections, and eventually choosing the right path for the wrong reasons. As a role model, the girl (Marie) is complex and illustrative rather than exemplary, although it handles the need for separation from a mother's influence more realistically than most films would.