L'eau froide (1994)

User Rating:

7.2/10   

Director:

Olivier Assayas

Writer:

Olivier Assayas (writer)

Release Date:

6 July 1994 (France)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

Gilles and Christine a boy and a girl live in the outskirts of Paris, their families are ineffective and distant and they lead a purposeless life...

Plot Keywords:

Commune | Teenage Girl | Teenage Boy | Teen Angst | Shoplifting

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Virginie Ledoyen	...	Christine
Cyprien Fouquet	...	Gilles
László Szabó	...	Père de Gille
Jean-Pierre Darroussin	...	Inspecteur
Dominique Faysse	...	Mère de Christine
Smaïl Mekki	...	Mourad
Jackie Berroyer	...	Père de Christine
Jean-Christophe Bouvet	...	Professeur
Ilona Györi	...	Marie
Renée Amzallag	...	Infirmière
Jérôme Simonin	...	Vendeur de dynamite
Laetitia Lemerle	...	Corrine
Alexandra Yonnet	...	Copine blouson
Caroline Doron	...	Copine blessée
Laetitia Giraud	...	Christiane

Also Known As:

Cold Water
La page blanche (France) (TV title (cut version))

Runtime:

92 min

Country:

France

Language:

French | Hungarian

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Iceland:12 | Finland:K-3 (1996)

Company:

IMA Productions

Movie Connections:

Version of "Tous les garçons et les filles de leur âge...: La page blanche (#1.4)" (1994)

Soundtrack:

Cosmic Wheels

Right on, this one

I really hadn't expected much of this movie when I saw it in Brooklyn last summer. But, as a coming of age story, it's one of the few ones that really hits home for me. Cold Water is just such a frustrated, restless film, neither condemning nor forgiving its self-involved children and inadequate parents. It's fair in that way, which is refreshing. I'm tired of hearing rich kids get a lot of breaks and tired of hearing the Richard Fords explain away their parenting mistakes.

Visually, it's not a terribly structured or naturalistic film, and maybe that's why it seems to be so right on. The frenetic energy and seeming meaninglessness of the individual shots really conveys the frustration that comes from having the faculties of an adult, but none of the powers. Those shots come together in these long, slow sequences . . . small town livin'. There's a seeming, but deceptive, plotlessness that drew a lot of recognition from me.

You shouldn't miss the party scene. Man, that brings back memories. Pure recklessness, and listening to CCR over and over and over.