Un amour de jeunesse

(57%) If you close your eyes and imagine a modestly budgeted French film centred around the love and loss of Parisian girl, then this is almost certainly what you'd have in mind. In a very similar form to that of 2013's Blue is the warmest colour, this takes the more realistic route to express itself. So expect lots of scenes in which hardly anything happens, a purposefully plodding pace, and characters that live and breathe more in reality of everyday life rather than the pages of a piece of fiction. The performances are subdued, and the script is penned back keeping everything in the realms of normality which does have its engrossing elements, but it also could make this an unbearable watch for some. After Boyhood went above and beyond to have its lead actor at the same age as the character, while this on the other hand has the issue of Lola Creton looking a bit too old to be 15 at the start of the film, and a bit too young looking to be high-rising architect by the second half. Boyhood really has spoilt us. The relationship at the heart of the film is undoubtedly idyllic, sometimes a little too idyllic, but unlike the better Blue is the warmest colour this isn't as painful to watch when things start to go rough. Fans of realistic romantic drama should give this a look, but those who like explosions and fistfights need not apply.