36 fillette is kind of like A ma soeur (also by Catherine Breillat) but before a ma soeur. I would think that the events that inspired both of them were the same. This one however, in my opinion, has a bit more nuance to the discourse and approaches the theme of sexual initiation from some different angles, some of which i find to be very new and refreshing mainly because they are presented in a way exempt from moralism and filled with ambiguities . The downside in my opinion is that the acting and the directing in this one is not as good as in A ma soeur but that is to be expected since Breillat was not as experienced as a movie director. Also Jean Pierre Lèaud is in this (in a minor role unfortunately) which was a welcome surprise.
Review of 36 fillette
