Customer Reviews

Water Lilies

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

A film review should help you decide whether or not to see the film. It shouldn't be some reviewer's soapbox. Rather, it's like a matchmaking service, looking not for the reviewer's ideal spouse, but the one for you.

That's what I'll try to do here.

First some filters: this is an organically-paced film in French, with subtitles, shot on a low budget. So if you demand that everything you see look like a glossy Hollywood spectacular, skip "Water Lilies." Even the landscapes aren't gorgeous. This is the Paris of sprawling anonymous suburbs. I'm not sure the characters have even seen the Eiffel Tower... except on TV.

And skip it if you're looking for French porn shot from a middle-aged male point of view (Louis Malle comes to mind). There's nudity here but it's painful, not titillating. There's powerful romantic passion but not the kind of elaborately choreographed love scenes that pass for "sexy" in Hollywood.

Also skip it if you're looking for a lesbian film. It's not about the lesbian community. It's not about a teen discovering she's lesbian and dealing with family and friends who are horrified, yada yada. None of that. There is at least one lesbian in the film, but that doesn't make it a lesbian film, any more than the presence of a black guy in a leading role in "The Matrix" made it a "black film." Lesbianism isn't the subject of "Wild Lilies."

Moreover, skip it if you don't want to see how three fifteen-year old girls see the world. This is what led to one singularly dense reviewer calling this a man-hating film. Well, duh. Imagine what boys are like from a fifteen year old girl's perspective. Girls mature emotionally before boys do, by and large. Boys don't catch up until they're in their 20s (if ever, some might add). The boys' preoccupation with getting laid, coupled with their emotional tone-deafness, makes them seem just like they're presented in this movie. If you're a man reading this, think back. You were like that then, weren't you? Be honest. Aren't you embarrassed by how you behaved during your first years of dating? I know I am.

Lastly, skip it if you want to cling to the belief that teenagers live strictly within the boundaries of a Disney teen comedy like, say, "Freaky Friday." I don't want to give away the plot, so I won't get into specifics like some other reviewers do, but some of the stuff these teens do will make you sit back and go "Whoa..."

But in retrospect it all makes sense--especially since these three teens are all outsiders: the girl boys lust after but who girls hate/despise; the overweight girl desperate for love; and the central figure, a skinny girl (think Scarlett Johansson without the curves) with the passionate depth of Juliet without any of Juliet's Shakespearian articulacy--and whose Romeo is ambivalent about her.

Hollywood screenwriters love the sound of their own words (with some exceptions, like Clint Eastwood), and their screen teens jabber incessantly, usually with the language and obsessions of a middle-aged male screenwriter ("Dawson's Creek"). But "Water Lilies"' teens talk in monosyllables, like many teens do.

And Hollywood teen actors grin and grimace and in general emote the paint off the walls. "Wild Lilies"'s teens look at the world through hooded eyes, with guarded expressions, never revealing more of what's going on inside than they have to.

This looks like non-acting to those accustomed to seeing people sawing the air with their hands and chewing the scenery. To watch this movie you have to recalibrate your head so you can watch people acting like people really act.

Do that, though, and you'll be rewarded richly. Pauline Acquart, who plays the movie's central figure Marie, is in nearly every scene; the movie rests on her narrow shoulders. As I said, she gives away nothing she doesn't have to. Yet hers is one of the most compelling portrayals I've seen of love so powerful it's nearly self-annihilating. But even then she never blurts out one of those totally phony self-revealing-speeches Hollywood uses to explain a character's motivations.

You have to watch Acquart as closely as she watches everyone around her to pry loose her secrets. And even though her love is probably hopeless, and even though it consumes her, she maintains an admirable, stoic dignity. Her courage is equally formidable. She's not one of those outgoing characters who naturally dominates a room. Nor is she a stalker, because stalkers believe their stalkee feels the same way about them and act accordingly. Marie has no such illusions.

Yet even though she has neither charisma, connections, nor the pseudo-courage of a nutcase, nor great beauty, she builds a connection with the one she wants, sometimes cautiously, sometimes boldly, as the occasion demands. She's an audacious general commanding a ragtag force in a war for someone's heart, and it's both fascinating and touching to watch her campaign evolve.

There's a scene in "Jerry Maguire" in which Renee Zelwegger's character dumps Tom Cruise's character, even though she loves him completely, because she can tell he doesn't love her as intensely as she loves him. Acquart's character, albeit less articulately, shows she's capable of the same kind of decision--even though she also shows that she will do almost anything for her Romeo (who's a female, as it happens, but this Romeo being female is absolutely not the point).

One other thing: this film shows us a few weeks in the lives of these three fifteen year olds. When the film ends, we don't know what "happens" later. That is, nothing is wrapped up with a ribbon tied around it. Nor should you expect the film to do so. These are 15 year olds, for heaven's sake.

Some Greek poet said "Call no man happy until his life is over." Likewise with these girls.

That said, I hope the director makes a sequel, with these same three actors. They've earned it. And they've earned your viewership--if you're worthy of this film.

Marie (Pauline Acquart) is petite, girlish, and shy, but likely on the verge of being a great beauty; her friend Anne (Louise Blachere) is awkward and somewhat overweight, and dealing with the pain those attributes engender from her peers; and Floriane (Adele Haenel) is already a great beauty, but doesn't know how to deal with all the attention she gets from the boys. "Water Lilies" is the story of their interactions, their experiences, and their growth (both emotionally and physically) during a school year in France.

The movie is understated, poetic, and sensual, though it would be a mistake to call it an erotic film. Rather it includes occasional erotic moments (discreetly filmed for the most part) in a story that's mostly about teenage angst. I also wouldn't characterize the movie as a "lesbian film", despite the same-sex crushes on display, especially among Marie and Floriane. The few romantic/sensual scenes between the girls were, to me, simply examples of the kind of deep affection and strong feelings that aren't uncommon among young teen girls. I could definitely see all of these girls, despite the intensity of their feelings for each other, eventually moving onto boyfriends when they're a little older, once their jumbled, still new, puberty-fueled emotions calm a bit. I'm not hostile to an interpretation of the film that says it's primarily about lesbian love and/or lesbian self-discovery, but I didn't see it that way.

"Water Lilies" is a shade under 90 minutes, looks and sounds great on DVD, and has easy-to-read subtitles that can be turned on and off. Extras are limited to the film's trailer, five minutes of deleted scenes, and four minutes of screen tests.

If you enjoy understated, character-based films that don't hit you over the head with big moments, you'll likely enjoy "Water Lilies" well enough. You'll even get a little erotic content. However, if erotic content is the main reason you're interested in this movie (for intellectual, prurient, or whatever reason), you'll likely be a little disappointed.

I have always enjoyed foreign films because they often broach topics that American movies do not dare touch! It is for this reason that I chose the French film Water Lilies which is about the sexual awakening of three adolescent girls. The main character, Marie, is a young girl filled with sexual angst who knows that there is something different about her but is not ready to discover that aspect of herself. Marie's best friend, Anne, is going through her own anxiety when she falls for a popular boy that she believes she will never be able to be with because she is not accepted by the popular crowd. Anne's frustrations are only exacerbated when she discovers that Marie has worked her way into the popular crowd by befriending the captain of the girls' swim team, Floraine. However, Marie soon realizes that she wants more than just friendship from Floraine.

There is a lot of ground covered in this movie that doesn't even run a full hour and a half. While each girl views her sexuality differently, each is in conflict with herself. Though none of the characters are likable, the viewer can still relate to those anxious years on the brink of one's sexual awakening. In addition, each girl embodies a different stereotype that we have of adolescent girls experimenting with their sexuality. There is the gay girl who has yet to come out to herself, the nerdy girl who yearns for the jock, and the popular girl who wants more than the one night stands that she has grown accustomed to. Though the film reinforces these stereotypes, it does not come off as cliched or jaded. Overall, it was exactly what I wanted from a foreign film: insight and interesting issues that America believes are too controversial for their silver screen.

This movie takes a very personal look into three young girls growing up outside Paris. The movie is in french with subtitles and tells the story of these girls during the summer they fumble toward womanhood. This movie is not fast paced. It takes a decidedly slow pace as it portrays the friendship between these girls which becomes more complex as their budding sexuality comes to the fore. The idyllic scenery surrounding them belie the harsh issues that face them.

The movie centers around the popular Floriane (captain of the local synchronized swimming team), Ann (who is insecure about her weight) and Marie (very quiet and introspective). Ann is also on the team but she is not as comfortable in her own skin as the girls around her. The scene where she waits for all the other girls to finish getting changed in the locker room so no one can see her naked will speak to everyone who had gym class and was insecure about their bodies, even if they have no reason to be. Another scene shows Anne dancing, trying to show off for the boy she likes but no one is paying attention to her, in fact, she is probably being mocked by the more popular girls. This film excels at these little moments that say so much about growing up.

Maire is Anne's best friend and while attending a synchronized swimming meet, finds herself attracted to Floriane. Is this intense feeling admiration or something more? Other girls comment about Floriane liking girls in front of Marie. She hopes to form a closer relationship with Floriane and is elated when they spend more time together but is hurt when Floriane only uses her as a front to appease her parents while hooking up with a local boy. The same boy that Anne has a crush on.

The complex bonds of friendship between girls, confusion over sexuality and the pressure of being labeled a "virgin" are expertly detailed by the director. I would think this film would appeal more to women as the themes seem gender specific. It is a wonderful and very personal look at three girls lives as they teeter toward adulthood. You can feel the pang of lost innocence as you watch it. It might be too slow paced for some but this thoughtful film is worth viewing.

The Bottom Line:

Many aspects of Water Lilies work on their own and someone unfamiliar with Moodyson's wonderful 1998 film Show Me Love will probably be reasonably pleased, but Water Lilies follows the beats of the latter film so closely it's impossible not to compare them and equally impossible not to notice which is the better film; if you're looking for an honest, sweet, and nuanced look at a relationship between two young girls then first check out Show Me Love, then maybe watch Water Lilies later.

3/4

Simply a great film. I don't know what I was expecting but I have so much more respect and empathy for young girls. As a male I know how tough it is for a teenage boy to survive those years but I never really thought about the difficulty that young women must go through. Now I really believe that this would be a great movie for young women and men to view. The film deals with young love, acceptance of yourself, body image, the need to have some type of identity; even if it's not a good one.

The young actresses do a great job with their roles. They aren't playing talkative teens who speak in witty page long paragraphs. But they say so much in just a glance and a word. This movie isn't kiddie porn, so let that go right now. It portrays true intimacy and sometimes there is nothing sexy about that. In many cases it's painful and revealing. Definitely worth the watch.

After viewing Naissance des pieuvres two days after my arrival home from the East Coast, I want to re-negociate this maxim: Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder. I declare: certain beauty, however, should be in the eyes of all beholders.

I hardly ever write film reviews especially lesbian ones (most, if not nearly all, are crap) because my memory of viewed films is so flimsy and vacuous and I have no talent on writing one. But I cannot resist pontificating on this one: Water Lilies. The original French title of the film Water Lilies is Naissance des Pieuvres, which translates to "birth of the octopuses," directed by a first time director (yes, a neophyte), Celine Sciamma. Unlike most boring critics do, I won't recapture the plot or summarize it in the most obscene way that takes away from the film extraordinary presentation so if you wish to form literary images of what the film constitutes before viewing the movie I highly recommend that you traffic websites such as imbd or rotten tomatoes or potatoes or onions.

Some less intelligent people call Water Lilies trash (I don't blame them. They disposed their how-to-appreciate-brilliant-films into the trash bin and walked airheaded into the theater) and other unreasonable critics claim it to be pretentious and whatnot. This review here by Manohla Dargis is ugly, dry, and ineloquent as any floor that hasn't been swept in twenty years. [..]
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At any rate, I am not here to review reviews of Naissance des pieuvres...It is, really, a brilliant film (lesbian content-wise or not). Its captivating level of rawness and maturity can't be compared to any film about teens I have seen. A strong meditation on the ambiguity of sexual desires. And it offers a fresh gaze on teen angst and budding same gender friendships in an age of pornography. Because of actresses' strong, dictating body language/performance, the film could almost fall under the genre of Silent Film. The acting is superb by Pauline Acquart (who plays Marie) and Adèle Haenel (Floriane). Haenel may be the next Catherine Denueve.

The scene starting with "I swear, Marie..." The gaze, the body gesture, the passion from the two leading protagonists hit my heart like lightning. The shot left a billion octupuses inside the vault of my imagination...I simply don't know how to describe...how it reached out to me.

As Andrew O'Hehir stated so precisely:
"Dismissed in some quarters as trash because it depicts a sexual act (of sorts) between two teenage girls, Water Lilies struck me instead as a hypnotic and wholly convincing look at teen culture from the inside, with all its courage, cruelty and unspoken codes of silence intact."

I bough this movie on a recommendation from a friend. It did not disappoint. Though different from what I had initially imagined, this film is beautiful. The cast and the cinematography are phenomenal. The French have a different approach to film making than Americans. It's much cleaner and rawer. There isn't a blaring soundtrack at every moment to tell the viewer how they should be feeling. I would definitely recommend this film about nascent adolescent love.

This movie was interesting. Kind of weird but loved it. The best friend was odd but all in all it was a good movie.

Let me first say that this is a very good movie with excellent acting by all three female leads. The music and cinematography are also surprisingly good. However, I must say that it is the type of film that some (especially men) may find uncomfortable to watch. The director does such a good job of building the sexual tension that you begin to feel a bit dirty toward the end. Isn't it unnatural for a grown man to be aroused by a young teenager? Society condemns men for showing any interest in girls under 18 yet films like these certainly don't help the situation. This being said I would still highly recommend this film based purely on its artistic merits.