Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
Nathalie Baye | ... | Lena Korski | |
Richard Berry | ... | Michel Korski | |
Zabou Breitman | ... | Bella Mandel (as Zabou) | |
Jean-Pierre Bacri | ... | Léon Mandel | |
Vincent Lindon | ... | Jean-Claude | |
Valeria Bruni Tedeschi | ... | Odette | |
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Didier Bénureau | ... | Ruffier |
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Julie Bataille | ... | Frédérique Korski |
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Candice Lefranc | ... | Sophie |
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Alexis Derlon | ... | Daniel |
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Emmanuelle Boidron | ... | Suzanne |
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Maxime Boidron | ... | René |
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Benjamin Sacks | ... | Titi |
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Jean-Claude de Goros | ... | L'aminateur |
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Gérard Chambre | ... | Le maître-nageur |
Summer 1958. Frédérique and Sophie go on vacation as they do every year to La Baule, where they find their uncle, Léon, nice and loud mouth, their aunt Bella, pregnant, and their little cousins. Like every year? Not quite. This year, Léna, their mother, is still staying in Lyon for mysterious reasons. If Sophie's six-year-old's don't pay attention any more, Frédérique's thirteen-year-old noticed a discomfort between Mom and Dad. In fact, nothing is going well. Léna can no longer support life with Michel, her husband, and is in love with a young artist, Jean-Claude. He comes to join Léna as soon as she arrives and finds her every evening on the beach, in her tent. The smoldering crisis does not prevent children from doing stupid things (setting fire to the Mickey Club, poisoning goldfish with suppositories), nor from experiencing their first emotional emotions. One day, Michel arrives. Things are going very badly, and Frédérique is forced to intervene to separate him from his mother. ...
I have seen this movie on the German TV yesterday with the title: "A summer at the sea" and I was deeply impressed.
Despite that it was produced in 1990, the theme is more up-to-date than ever. Excellent actors of all ages performed very well indeed, a great story, some romantic spots and lovely music will make you thinking about the relationship of children to their parents, their pain and childish emotions which often get hurt.
This story could happen today, next month or the following year, next door of you or at any other location or country. So you will get nothing NEW out of that movie but the sad reality of daily life in the eyes of children whose parents can't behave.
I only can highly recommend this movie - buy the DVD and you will enjoy it definitively more than just one time.