#232 Domestic studies: Water Lilies (2007)

"Naissance des Pieuvres" de Céline Sciamma (2007) avec Adèle Haenel, Pauline Acquart et Louise Blachère, mai 2022.

Cine: Naissance des pieuvres (2007)

Marie (Pauline Acquart) se ha convertido en una asidua visitante de la pileta parisina y por una razón muy personal: allí realiza sus prácticas el equipo local de nado sincronizado, en el cual participa Floriane (Adèle Haenel), de quien está profundamente enamorada. Como suele suceder, su sentimiento no es recíproco, ya que la joven desea profundizar su relación con François (Warren Jacquin). Éste, a su vez, es el objeto del afecto de Anne (Louise Blachère), la mejor amiga de Marie, que está en el equipo de Floriane. Allí es donde se inscribe Marie con la velada intención de acercarse a su amor imposible.

Demasiado enredo para un trío de chicas de quince años, ¿verdad? Y son muy pocos los adultos que verás rondando a lo largo de esta cinta francesa, debut de la directora y guionista Céline Sciamma, también conocida en el mundo anglosajón como “Water Lillies”. Ni siquiera hay noticias sobre los padres de Marie, o Anne y menos de Floriane; toda la historia fluye entre adolescentes enfrentando el florecimiento de su sexualidad y, a veces, practicándola. Cierto: hay escenas de desnudos, en especial de Blachère (calma, ya era mayor de edad: tenía dieciocho años al momento de filmar esta película), pero el centro del relato reside en Marie y en su creciente obsesión por Floriane, llegando, por ejemplo, a rescatar su propia basura para atesorar fragmentos abandonados por su enamorada. Una ternura.

Adèle Haenel and Pauline Acquart in Water Lilies (Céline Sciamma, 2007) Cast: Pauline Acquart, Louise Blachère, Adèle Haenel, Warren Jacquin, Christel Baras, Marie Gili-Pierre, Alice de Lencquesaing, Claire Pierrat, Barbara Renard, Esther Sironneau, Jérémie Steib, Yvonne Villemaire, Christophe Vandevelde. Screenplay: Céline Sciamma. Cinematography: Crystel Fournier. Production design: Gwendel Bescond. Film editing: Julien Lacheray. Music: Jean-Baptiste de Laubier. I admit to a certain queasiness about watching Water Lilies, with its almost too intimate exploration of the lives of teenage girls, including some nudity. Céline Sciamma of course wants us to feel that way, to make us aware of these adolescent bodies as well as the souls that inhabit them. One girl, Marie (Pauline Acquart), is skinny and awkward; another, Anne (Louise Blachère), is on the verge of being overweight; and the third, Florine (Adèle Haenel), is flat-out beautiful. All of them spend much of their time at the swimming pool, where Florine is the star of a group of synchronized swimmers, and Anne coaches a group of beginners. Marie is the hanger-on who watches the other girls with a too-eager eye. At the film's start, she and Anne are close, but as Marie becomes involved with Florine, the two drift apart. There is a pivotal boy in the ensemble, the handsome François (Warren Jacquin), whom Anne desires -- at one point she she sees him looking at her naked in the locker room; she doesn't cover up in embarrassment but is rather pleased, and begins to try to win him. But François is after Florine, who strikes a deal with Marie: She'll let Marie watch the group practicing if she'll help her sneak out of the house at night to meet with François. Eventually, a different relationship develops between Marie and Florine. Sciamma choreographs this pas de quatre well, but there's something a little too formulaic and voyeuristic about the film, which doesn't resolve itself into significance. Still, its portrait of the sexual confusion of adolescence is often achingly real.

CALIFICACIÓN PERSONAL: 6 / 10

Título Original: Girls With Balls

Año: 2018

Duración: 77 min

País: Bélgica

Director: Olivier Afonso

Guion: Olivier Afonso, Jean-Luc Cano

Música:  Sacha Chaban

Fotografía: Sascha Wernik

Reparto: Denis Lavant, Manon Azem, Dany Verissimo, Anne-Solenne Hatte, Tony Corvillo, Camille Razat, Louise Blachère, Tiphaine Daviot, Orelsan, Victor Artus Solaro, Margot Dufrene

Productora: Coproducción Bélgica-Francia; C4 Productions, Noodles Production, Volcano Films, Deal Productions, Saga Film. Distribuidora: Kinology

Género: Comedy, Horror

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4725842/

TRAILER:

Naissance des pieuvres (2007, dir.  Céline Sciamma)

Water Lilies (Céline Sciamma, 2007)

Before “Portrait of a Lady on Fire” - an splendid example of how film can exploree slow-burning romance in film instead of throwing it’s “victims” at each other in the beginning - Céline Sciamma made Water Lilies, an film about two young girls finding each other - and themself. The setting is a swimming pool where  Floriane (played by Adéle Haenel, that also stars in Portrait of a Lady...) is training water ballet. There is also Marie that tries to assign herself to the team to be close to Floriane - but is denied. So she starts to stalk her so she can gain access to the pool - and ultimatly Floriane. There is no epic sparkling romance between them so we have to follow these two girls in their new gained friendship that is established instead. And Céline is doing everything so good in this film, her first, and perfected the formula in Portrait of a Lady on Fire.

The film is not only about their relationship though. Céline is also making comments, in pictures more than words, on hetero normativity, bullying and growing up in a speed that might not been choosen by one self. It hurts a little to watch, maybe mostly because its so relatable. But the film have funny parts to so its not only darkness. Exactly as in real life in other words.

Naissance des pieuvres (AKA Water Lilies) | Céline Sciamma | 2007

Water Lilies (2008) dir. Céline Sciamma

"The ceiling is probably the last thing people see. At least for 90% of people who die. Probably. And if you die, the last thing you see will be printed in your eye. Like a photograph. Imagine all those people with ceiling in their eyes."

Naissance des Pieuvres (Water Lilies) (2007) dir. Cèline Sciamma.

Water Lilies (Naissance des pieuvres) (2007) Céline Sciamma

September 10th 2020

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In celebration of #PrideMonth, we're sharing a never-before-seen Q&A with Céline Sciamma discussing her debut film WATER LILIES at NDNF in 2008.

– Film at Lincoln Center

Water Lilies/Naissance des pieuvres (2007)

directed by Céline Sciamma

Set during a sultry summer in a French suburb, Marie is desperate to join the local pool’s synchronized swimming team, but is her interest solely for the sake of sport or for a chance to get close to Floriane, the bad girl of the team? Sciamma, and the two leads, capture the uncertainty of teenage sexuality with a sympathetic eye in this delicate drama of the angst of coming-of-age.

Naissance des pieuvres (Water Lilies), 2007 (dir. Céline Sciamma)

The last of louise