L'année des méduses (1984)

Second viewing; first viewed on March 30, 2016

Former blog post:

[quote]
English title: Year of the Jellyfish

At a beach in the South of France, mother and 18-year-old daughter are spending some time. The mother gets involved with a younger man. The daughter has a wild sexual behavior and some psychological issues.

A lot of gorgeous women flaunting their breasts most of the time, and occasionally all her bodies. Total amorality. The young govern the old. It is well directed and flows nicely, despite the thinness and reticency of the plot. I knew there was a flashback somewhere because the daughter is sixteen in some scenes and eighteen in others, but I couldn't discern the exact point when real time transitions to flashback and vice-versa. Reportedly there is a novel that could shed light on some of those doubts.

Rating: 51
[end quote]

Now I understand the film better. It's not as reticent as I supposed. Young Chris's fixation on Romain, which goes way back -- before his involvement with her mother -- is an important plot point which I probably overlooked on my first viewing. For finer psychological points, there is always the novel, which I still haven't read.

Rating: 52 (up from 51)