JEUNE & JOLIE (Young and Beautiful)

Isabelle (Marine Vacth) is on summer vacation in the South of France when she takes up a desultory relationship with Felix (Lucas Prisor), a hunky German tourist. He is neither her emotional nor her intellectual equal. We watch her give up her virginity to him, only to cast him aside without a care days later. We next meet Isabelle in the fall, back in Paris, where we discover that she's set up a website to accept appointments from johns she will meet for sex in chic hotel rooms. She is a cool professional. But this does not mean she's immune to the effects of the sexual whims of and occasional rough treatment from men. It is only with one regular client that she allows herself to experience any pleasure. That is until the unthinkable happens and she's forced to deal with the consequences of her decisions. Presented over the course of four seasons, the mood of each characterised by a distinctive song, Ozon's film provides an unprejudiced glimpse into the adolescent female psyche. While he subtly hints at an economic subtext, Ozon perfectly captures the sense of fearlessly searching for your identity.