Cannes. Water Lilies.

A "Camera D'Or contender that heralds the start of a promising career, La Naissance des Pieuvres (Water Lillies) introduces audiences to the struggles of transitioning into womanhood through the eyes of Celine Sciamma," writes Eric Kohn at indieWIRE. "The French director demonstrates a strong command of character development and pace in this charming account of two high school girls whose friendship comes into question when various sexual tensions enter their naive existence.... Sciamma directs like a tame, optimistic version of Catherine Breillat. She could work wonders for the sorry state of mainstream teenage comedies in America."

Updated.

In this story of a girls' synchronized swimming team which screens in the Un Certain Regard section, Celine Sciamma "nails the aching doubts and offhanded cruelty of 15- and 16-year-old girls," writes Lisa Nesselson in Variety. "The amount of effort to keep one's smiling head above water while churning prevails below the waist is apt indeed."

"With seductive and spontaneous performances by new actress Pauline Acquart (who calls to mind Charlotte Gainsbourg in L'effrontée), Adele Haenel (who came to attention in Christophe Ruggia's The Devils) and Louise Blachère, the characters of Marie, Floriane and Anne struggle with the contradictions of an age that the director deals without falling into the trap of nostalgia of a first film," writes Fabien Lemercier for Cineuropa.

Update: "The film has a shimmering, haunted quality that recalls The Virgin Suicides, and marks out Sciamma as a talent to watch out for," writes the Telegraph's Sukhdev Sandhu.

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Cannes @ 60. Index.

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Posted by dwhudson at May 24, 2007 4:58 AM