Do not understand me wrong, this movie is not bad at all. But it is mediocre in the sense of the feelings it tries to transmit. It tries to be too much: a coming-of-age movie, including sexuality uncertainties and explorations, a movie about a family's drama, about a community's tragedy, about the loss of a friend... It is precisely this unfocused view, which it definitely stumbles upon and falls. Not too hard but still, other directors have managed better before (Christophe Honoré's Close to Leo for example).
Sebastien is being portrayed like a marble statue with no emotions on, not only incapable of feelings himself but also unable to provide us with an incentive to care. The same is true for the mother, the mayor, Francis... each person is trapped in his or her role, without the freedom to move around. In the end, it was not Sebastien, nor Mickael but the mayor who finally goes through a catharsis moment and is worth to watch. Some may call this acting subtle... I tend to regard it as immature.
Sebastien is being portrayed like a marble statue with no emotions on, not only incapable of feelings himself but also unable to provide us with an incentive to care. The same is true for the mother, the mayor, Francis... each person is trapped in his or her role, without the freedom to move around. In the end, it was not Sebastien, nor Mickael but the mayor who finally goes through a catharsis moment and is worth to watch. Some may call this acting subtle... I tend to regard it as immature.