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GIRLS CAN'T SWIM Send This Review to a Friend
"Girls Can't Swim," directed by Anne-Sophie Birot, is yet another showcase for the talents of Isild Le Besco, who is becoming one of France's most popular young actresses. Here she plays Gwen, a self-absorbed, pouting teenager with a close girlfriend. During a summer vacation at the beach tensions between them mount and explode, with events leading to tragic consequences.
The setting is the coast of Brittany, where Gwen goes on vacation with her mother and father, who is a fisherman. The best friend is Lise (Karen Alyx), who usually goes on vacation at the time, but this year she can't because of a situation connected to the death of her estranged father. Lisa and Gwen are exchanging letters, but that's not enough and Lisa bolts and goes to see Gwen. The relationship that ensues is not what she had hoped for, as Gwen is more interested in boys.
For a while the film, seething with teenage sexuality, is intriguing, but despite Le Besco's good performances and firm supporting roles, the characters begin to grate and the developments aren't convincing enough to support the heavy turn the film takes. Yet there is no question that Le Besco is fascinating to watch, just as she is in the much more interesting portrayal she provides in another French film "Sade." (Both films were introduced at the 2001 Rendezvous wiuth French Cinema series.) A Wellspring release.
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