This film reminded me of "You'll Get Over It" ("À cause d'un garçon"). Both were made for TV; both run about 90 minutes; both focus on adolescents and homosexuality. Both seem like "After School Specials," intended to make teenagers aware of various aspects of homosexuality.
This film focuses upon Olympe, who appears to be in tenth or eleventh grade in a suburban high school. Her mother Martine, a lesbian, was married to Antoine, a gay man; together they had Olympe and then divorced. There are no further details. At any event, since the divorce, Martine has had custody of Olympe, and Antoine lives in Paris, where he works as an architect.
Martine is in a relationship with a nurse named Do. Although Do and Martine aren't living together, they should be since they spend so much time together at Martine's apartment.
Olympe is uncomfortable living in this situation. And Olympe's discomfort is largely Martine's fault. A good deal of what happens to Olympe occurs because Martine hasn't been forthright with her daughter. Martine herself is living in the shadows, still largely in the closet.
When the film starts, Olympe is a normal teenager with her eye on a handsome guy named Leo. Her rival for Leo's affections is a girl named Géraldine. When Leo cast his lot with Olympe, Géraldine blackmails her by saying that if Olympe doesn't give up Leo, she will tell everyone in school what she knows--that Olympe's mother is a lesbian living with another lesbian.
Since Leo and Olympe remain a couple, Géraldine tells her classmates about Olympe's mother and lover. Although Leo says that this doesn't matter, most of the students soon ostracize Olympe, though her good friend Marion stands by.
Olympe doesn't talk to her mother about what's happening at school, though Martine senses that something is wrong. Instead, Olympe goes to see her father in Paris and tells him. Olympe thinks the solution to her problem is to live with her father and go to school in Paris. But this isn't going to happen because dad has a boyfriend, whom he's been seeing for about a year, and that boyfriend is about to move in with him.
Olympe's problems increase until she seriously contemplates suicide. At school, she intercepts a note that causes her to dash out of the classroom. When Olympe fails to return home that afternoon, and the police find her bicycle near the river, they conclude she might have committed suicide. Martine and Antoine are both at last shocked into paying attention.
The resolution of the plot comes too quickly but involves Olympe's mother becoming supportive of Olympe. The two begin talking to each other, and, at last, Olympe has the support she needs to handle the situation at school and gain strength.
At times, I felt the film was trying to cover too much material in its 90-minute running time, but overall, I liked it because it focuses on both the daughter as well as making clear the parents responsibility to Olympe.
Louise Monot who played Olympe is a very attractive girl (woman?) who did a good job. Samuel Labarthe, as the father Antoine, has matinée idol good looks in the tradition of Charles Boyer. Handsome 18-year-old Lucas Bonnifait played Leo, a piece of eye candy. Other cast members did a satisfactory job.
This film is worth a rental because it will give you something to think about and discuss. It's certainly much better than most of what is on U.S. TV about homosexuality.
This film focuses upon Olympe, who appears to be in tenth or eleventh grade in a suburban high school. Her mother Martine, a lesbian, was married to Antoine, a gay man; together they had Olympe and then divorced. There are no further details. At any event, since the divorce, Martine has had custody of Olympe, and Antoine lives in Paris, where he works as an architect.
Martine is in a relationship with a nurse named Do. Although Do and Martine aren't living together, they should be since they spend so much time together at Martine's apartment.
Olympe is uncomfortable living in this situation. And Olympe's discomfort is largely Martine's fault. A good deal of what happens to Olympe occurs because Martine hasn't been forthright with her daughter. Martine herself is living in the shadows, still largely in the closet.
When the film starts, Olympe is a normal teenager with her eye on a handsome guy named Leo. Her rival for Leo's affections is a girl named Géraldine. When Leo cast his lot with Olympe, Géraldine blackmails her by saying that if Olympe doesn't give up Leo, she will tell everyone in school what she knows--that Olympe's mother is a lesbian living with another lesbian.
Since Leo and Olympe remain a couple, Géraldine tells her classmates about Olympe's mother and lover. Although Leo says that this doesn't matter, most of the students soon ostracize Olympe, though her good friend Marion stands by.
Olympe doesn't talk to her mother about what's happening at school, though Martine senses that something is wrong. Instead, Olympe goes to see her father in Paris and tells him. Olympe thinks the solution to her problem is to live with her father and go to school in Paris. But this isn't going to happen because dad has a boyfriend, whom he's been seeing for about a year, and that boyfriend is about to move in with him.
Olympe's problems increase until she seriously contemplates suicide. At school, she intercepts a note that causes her to dash out of the classroom. When Olympe fails to return home that afternoon, and the police find her bicycle near the river, they conclude she might have committed suicide. Martine and Antoine are both at last shocked into paying attention.
The resolution of the plot comes too quickly but involves Olympe's mother becoming supportive of Olympe. The two begin talking to each other, and, at last, Olympe has the support she needs to handle the situation at school and gain strength.
At times, I felt the film was trying to cover too much material in its 90-minute running time, but overall, I liked it because it focuses on both the daughter as well as making clear the parents responsibility to Olympe.
Louise Monot who played Olympe is a very attractive girl (woman?) who did a good job. Samuel Labarthe, as the father Antoine, has matinée idol good looks in the tradition of Charles Boyer. Handsome 18-year-old Lucas Bonnifait played Leo, a piece of eye candy. Other cast members did a satisfactory job.
This film is worth a rental because it will give you something to think about and discuss. It's certainly much better than most of what is on U.S. TV about homosexuality.
