À ma soeur (2001)
With À ma soeur! (awkwardly translated into English as Fat Girl), enfant-terrible writer-director Catherine Breillat courageously delves into the subject of adolescent sex, as seen through the eyes of two teenage girls.
During a family summer vacation, 15-year-old Elena and her 12-year-old sister Anaïs (who has an increased appetite) discuss virginity – Elena is saving herself for the right man, while Anaïs can’t wait to get her first time over with. They meet Fernando, a law student from Italy, and soon Fernando and Elena start dating using the young sister as cover – but as the two sisters share the same bedroom, the young lovers’ sexual play is far from intimate.
Breillat toys with our discomfort in these scenes, confronting us with the characters’ frank talk and precocious sexuality. The two sisters’ moments alone in their bedroom talking about childhood memories are genuine but uncomfortable: despite their closeness, Elena’s natural mode is to bully her younger sibling. Passion turns to adrenaline-fuelled drama in the film’s shock ending, with À ma soeur offering one last, violent provocation.
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