The Adolescent (1979)
"L'adolescente" (original title)

The summer of 1939. Marie, at 13, goes with her parents to visit her grandmother in a small town near Avignon. Although rumors of war reach the countryside, it's an idyllic place. Marie's ... See full summary »

Director:

Jeanne Moreau

Writers:

Henriette Jelinek, Jeanne Moreau

Stars:

Simone Signoret, Francis Huster, Laetitia Chauveau

2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Simone Signoret	...	Mamie
Francis Huster	...	Alexandre
Laetitia Chauveau	...	Marie
Edith Clever	...	Eva, la mère
Jacques Weber	...	Jean
Jean-François Balmer	...	André, le menuisier
Hugues Quester	...	Le fils du forgeron
Roger Blin	...	Romain
Frank Muth	...	François, 'l'innocent'
Maurice Baquet	...	Jules, le cantonnier
Nadine Basile	...	Rose, épouse du contonnier
Françoise Bette	...	Violette
Michel Blanc	...	M. Bertin
Bérangère Bonvoisin	...	La fille du maire
Juliette Brac	...	La femme du forgeron

Storyline

The summer of 1939. Marie, at 13, goes with her parents to visit her grandmother in a small town near Avignon. Although rumors of war reach the countryside, it's an idyllic place. Marie's parents are constantly making love. Surrounded by sexual frankness, Marie fancies herself a woman and develops a crush on Alexander, the town's young Jewish doctor. She's despondent when he treats her as if she were a child. After Marie's father abruptly leaves for a few weeks to assist with a relative's harvest, Marie's mother and the doctor disappear into the woods for hours at a time. Marie tries to spy on them. When dad returns, what will the family and the doctor do?

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Plot Keywords:

doctor | summer | countryside | self discovery | clogs | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Details

Country:

France West Germany

Language:

French

Release Date:

24 January 1979 (France)

Also Known As:

The Adolescent

Company Credits

Production Co:

Carthago Coop. Cinematográfica, Janus Film, Südwestfunk (SWF)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

User Reviews

Young girl experiences adolescent love

Just before World War II, a 12-year-old girl leaves Paris with her parents for a summer vacation in the country. Instead of playing with her friends there, she develops an adolescent (hence the film's title) infatuation with a 30-year-old doctor that has recently joined the village. The older man, understandably, does not return her affections but instead manifests an even less-advised interest in the girl's Dutch mother.