Fat Girl (2001)

Two sisters confront their sexual attitudes and experiences while on a family holiday.

Director:

Catherine Breillat

Writer:

Catherine Breillat

Stars:

Anaïs Reboux, Roxane Mesquida, Libero De Rienzo

4 wins & 3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Anaïs Reboux	...	Anaïs Pingot
Roxane Mesquida	...	Elena Pingot
Libero De Rienzo	...	Fernando
Arsinée Khanjian	...	Mother
Romain Goupil	...	François Pingot / Father
Laura Betti	...	Fernando's Mother
Albert Goldberg	...	The Killer
Odette Barrière	...	Friend at Residence
Ann Matthijsse	...	Friend at Residence
Pierre Renverseau	...	Friend at Residence
Jean-Marc Boulanger	...	Friend at Residence
Frederick Bodin	...	Waiter
Michel Guillemin	...	Janitor
Josette Cathalan	...	Saleswoman
Claude Sésé	...	Police Officer (as Claude Sese)

Storyline

A Ma Soeur! is a provocative and shocking drama about sibling rivalry, family discord and relationships. Elena is 15, beautiful and flirtatious. Her less confident sister, Anais, is 12, and constantly eats. On holiday, Elena meets a young Italian student who is determined to seduce her. Anais is forced to watch in silence, conspiring with the lovers, but harbouring jealousy and similar desires. Their actions, however, have unforeseen tragic consequences for the whole family.

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Plot Keywords:

female frontal nudity | sibling rivalry | breasts | virgin | violence | 

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Taglines:

A new provocation from the director of "Romance"

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

France Italy

Language:

French Italian English

Release Date:

7 March 2001 (France)

Also Known As:

Fat Girl

Filming Locations:

France

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$31,237, 14 October 2001, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$724,116, 23 March 2003

Company Credits

Production Co:

Arte France Cinéma, CB Films, Canal+

Technical Specs

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The ban imposed upon the film by the Ontario Film Review Board in November 2001 (on the grounds that it offended "contemporary provincial moral standards") was finally lifted in January 2003, after Bill Moody replaced Robert Warren as the Board's Chair and new guidelines for reviewing films were adopted. The film's North American distributor, Cowboy Pictures, had also threatened the OFRB with a lawsuit.

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Goofs

[All goofs for this title are spoilers.]

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Quotes

Anaïs Pingot: When I hate you, I look at you and then I can't.

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Connections

Referenced in Brows Held High: The Anatomy of Hell (2012)

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Soundtracks

Moi je m'ennuie
Lyrics and music by Catherine Breillat

User Reviews

Should Be Required Viewing in Sex Ed Classes for Young Teens

"Fat Girl" is unrated so probably will never be shown in sex ed classes for 14-year-old girls willing to read the subtitles of a French film. Too bad.

Written and directed by Catherine Breillat, whose other controversial movies about girls and sex I've somehow missed and will now catch up on, the original title of "A ma soeur!" (to, or maybe colloquially for, my sister) makes a lot more sense.

But not since the very scary "Smooth Talk" have I seen the seduction of a pretty teen-ager by a hunky older guy shown so effectively, as this is a whole lot more explicit and sensually realistic in how they interact in a cagey game of alluring naiveté vs. determined persuasion.

Unlike "American Beauty" whose quasi-pedophilia I found disturbing, this is a sophisticated view of the powerful forces unleashed between a guy young enough to be attracted yet old enough to know better, and a girl old enough to be attracted yet young enough not to know better. Is he the banality of evil, an update of Sportin' Life or the snake -- or is he just being a guy? In class, the teacher could stop the tape in the middle of the dialog and action, and say "Whoa, girls, what could you say when he says that? When he does that? When you feel like that?"

And we watch this all played out in a fascinating way, from the viewpoint of, with devastating impact on, her younger, titular sister who has to endure an up close and personal intimacy with them under the noses of oblivious parents.

While the sibling relationship is the anchor, the ending may be a culminating precautionary statement on a very negative view of the battle of the sexes, but no one walking out of the theater was sure.

The Ontario Film Review Board missed the educational point in censoring the film, but I concur that it's a disturbing film.

Listening to Top 40 radio on the way home sure made me suspicious of all those declarations of love pouring out from all those guys.

Coincidentally, I re-saw the Rohmer film "Pauline on the Beach" hours later on IFC and now see that Breillat is making a dark commentary on that classic, both riffing off a 14-year-old on vacation amidst a sexual whirligig; the French may have a different reaction than me.

(originally written 10/27/2001)