Slalom

Stunningly cold cinematography coupled with the isolated setting really exemplifies themes of helplessness, isolation and control. It may be disturbingly intimate at times but this helps the film explore the subject matter like no-one has done before. You really have to work hard but the pay off is waiting for you. But not if you're American

Married skiing coach and a 15 yo teen student story. Coach has high hope on the teen and can't resist her charm. Sex is sex, go and find others outside but not screw his own goal. So simple concept. This part didn't logical n add up. Film is not bad just hard for me the buy the storyline.

It seems to me that the approach on the subject was an excellent decision, the way the story shows you moments that could make us think in one way and then others that destabilize the ideas already formed. What I enjoyed the most was the direction! As at many times it was fierce, elegant, bold and captivating.

Much like the classic Enid Blyton books, perhaps it requires the parents to be conveniently absent to allow the story to play out, but I must say that I found the mother's semi-attached role to be the least convincing here. Her almost complete lack of interest at the beginning makes it too easy to lay the blame at her door, whereas the reality is rather more complex and nuanced - which I think the film (and the rest of the cast) does very well to illustrate and explore. Given the content, I guess they were never going to use a real 15-year old to play the lead, but apart from the unconvincing age I think the lead here is excellent, as are the cinematography and sports content.

Recommended.

If you read the synopsis of this movie, it is really easy to write it off as another #metoo tale, but it actually a pretty singular story and more complex than that. The coach (Jeremie Renier) is certainly abusive, but he is not a one-dimensional predator. He seems genuinely focused on being a coach and is not simply "grooming" the teenage protagonist (Noee Abita). It is perfectly acceptable for elite coaches of underage athletes to be physically and emotionally abusive--he just takes it a step farther and is sexually abusive as well. The teenager is certainly confused and traumatized by what is happening, but still remains in the orbit of this charismatic authority figure. I won't spoil the ending, but it will frustrate those expecting a morally unambiguous #metoo message. This movie actually reminded of the recent American film "Diary of a Teenage Girl" in that it refuses to impose a clear moral on the narrative, but leaves it to the viewer to draw their own.

I find most of these movies a little hypocritical since they always seem find an incredibly attractive 20-year-old to play the "teenager" and an incredibly attractive 35 year old to play the older predator, and French movies always seem to add some teenage (or rather "teenage") nudity. But both actors are excellent and quite believable as elite athletes. The sex scenes are both hot (because of the actors involved) and troubling (because of the story) at the same time, so you just have to deal with that. The skiing scenes are simply wonderful , and its a very beautiful looking movie. You can decide for yourself what the moral is.