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Review

Gaël Morel, the young star of André Téchiné’s Wild Reeds, directed this assured feature film debut that delves into the tangled sexual lives of several young people in rural France. Samir (Mezziane Bardadi), a handsome teenager of Arab descent, becomes moody and alienated after his intensely close friend dies in an accident. He rediscovers happiness when he befriends a group of young people: there is Quentin, a writer flush with confidence after the success of his first novel; Julie, his twenty-year-old free-spirited girlfriend; and eighteen-year-old Jimmy, a gorgeous tough guy who’s always in trouble. While Julie and Jimmy begin to have an affair, Samir falls violently in love with a tentatively accepting Quentin. But when Quentin wants to end the affair, Samir’s obsession disturbs the closeness and tranquility of the group.

Gael, who played the teen who begins to accept his homosexuality in Wild Reeds (and who is gay himself) has borrowed more than he should have from his mentor’s classic film. The similarities are so obvious as to be embarrassing, but if taken alone, Morel’s film successfully captures the drama of young lust, bisexuality, unrequited love and racial prejudice.