Young & Beautiful

2014
6.7| 1h35m| NR| en
Details

Isabelle, a 17-year-old student, loses her virginity during a quick holiday romance. When she returns home, she begins a secret life as a prostitute for a year.

AD
AD

Watch Free for 30 Days

Stream on any device, 7-day free trial Watch Now

Trailers & Clips

Reviews

GamerTab That was an excellent one.
WillSushyMedia This movie was so-so. It had it's moments, but wasn't the greatest.
Bob This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.
Skyler Great movie. Not sure what people expected but I found it highly entertaining.
De_Sam The Nouvelle Vague originated from an ideology postulated in Cahiers du Cinéma in the '50s, specifically the idea that film could no longer be ruled by its narrative (which was often an adaptation of other media, particularly critically-acclaimed literary works) but should be completely dictated by the director or, as he was called when fulfilling this role, the 'auteur'. Thus the reactionary countermovement of the Nouvelle Vague proposed a sudden shift from narrative to formal and experimental factors as indicators of quality. Concerning this focus on the formal aspect was the preference of the Cahiers du Cinéma Critics for the mise-en-scène, namely the long take and deep-focus aesthetic (Cook, 2004; Gibbs, 2002).Indeed, the auteur theory or politique des auteurs continues to dominate in the discourse surrounding film, especially in journalistic circles. However, auteur theory has evolved since the Nouvelle Vague, as Kate Ince has illustrated in her analysis of François Ozon; it is no longer the aesthetical techniques in a director's body of work but recurring themes that identify an 'auteur' (2008). The change in meaning of 'auteur' is a clear index of the extent to which the 'broken thread' as Olivier Assayas called it has been reattached. In view of Ince's analysis, which uses the concepts of the Cahiers du Cinéma critics in a diametrical way, it seems that the abandonment of the 'nouvelle vague auteur' has fully disseminated in the academic discourse of film studies. The director is no longer seen as being able to dictate every aspect of the film production process, the only thing he has complete control over is the thematic content (Maule, 2008). As a consequence of the reinterpretation of the auteur theory, content analyses have become more commonplace leading to a declination in the number of formal analyses. For the purpose of complementing Ince's analysis of Ozon's work this essay will perform a close stylistic analysis of the film style in Jeune & Jolie (2013). In addition, it will provide empirical evidence to the claim that the post-nouvelle vague directors reintegrated and re-evaluated the narrative film tradition and style.Consequently, Assayas asserted that directors such as André Téchiné, Maurice Pialat, Jean Eustace and other post-nouvelle vague directors "re-attached the broken thread". In other words they reconciled with the film tradition that was rejected by the Cahier du Cinéma critics. Thus, filmmakers were no longer limited to a long take, deep-focus or, alternatively, an experimental film style. By adapting the existing stylistic tactics, which were institutionalised during the first half of the 20th century, films could once again be a medium to convey narratives.The methodology of the stylistic analysis is rooted in the cognitive film theory of David Bordwell, who proposed an empirical way of analysing the formal aspects of film in Figures Traced in Light. This essay will mainly utilise concepts from the first chapter, titled 'Staging and Style'. Firstly, Jeune & Jolie is created utilising the continuity editing of classical Hollywood, what Bordwell has postulated as the system of editing that least obstructs the viewer in his construction of the narrative while watching the film (1985). Since Ozon opts for this mode of editing it seems evident that he puts more emphasis on the narrative than on the formal aspect of his film. In the second place, Ozon utilises the traditional schemata of opening a scene with an establishing shot, followed by a recurring shot-reverse-shot scheme in which the major participants in the conversation appear alone in frame or is seen over the shoulder of another character (Bordwell, 2005). He uses the schemata for 18 scenes throughout Jeune & Jolie and therefore it constitutes the large part of all poly- and dialogues. Bordwell has noted that this schemata is one of the oldest, most institutionalised and accordingly the most understood method of showing a scene involving dialogue. Thus, once again Ozon elects to emphasize conveying the narrative instead of experimenting with the film form. Thirdly, the characters in Ozon's film dominate the frame and direct the camera, owing to the absence of any open frames; either montage or camera movement reframes the main character when he/she is about to leave the frame. This is most pronounced with the protagonist Isabelle, played by Marine Vacth. The way she is framed differs from the mood of the scene, generally falling into three major categories: BCU or CU for the emotional intense scenes, VLS or LS to show her progressing alienation from her environment and personal relationships, and lastly medium shots for neutral scenes. As a final point, Ozon incorporates not only the film style of the pre-nouvelle vague French Cinema, but also the whole of Western film tradition, dating back to the beginning of the 20th century. This is logical given the way the solution to a specific staging problem is passed on from filmmaker to filmmaker on a global scale, as western films are distributed throughout the entire Western world. Returning to the insistence of Ince that Ozon is an auteur on the basis of his content, this limited stylistic analysis has proven that he does not assert his personal mark on the aesthetic of the film. However, Ince has correctly concluded that Ozon dictates the themes in his film, leading him to be the "first mainstream queer filmmaker" (2008, p. 31). To conclude, in the contemporary French film industry an auteur is no longer determined by his style but by the recurring themes in his oeuvre. Film style has once again become a universal tool to help immerse the audience in the film and convey the narrative of the director.Bordwell, D. (1985). Narration in the fiction film: London, Routledge 1985.Bordwell, D. (2005). Staging and Style Figures traced in light : on cinematic staging (pp. 1-42). Berkeley; London: University of California Press.Cook, D. A. (2004). A history of narrative film (4th ed.). New York: W.W. Norton.Gibbs, J. (2002). Mise-en-scène : film style and interpretation. London: Wallflower.Ince, K. (2008). François Ozon's cinema of desire. In K. Ince (Ed.), Five directors : auteurism from Assayas to Ozon (pp. 157): Manchester University Press.Maule, R. (2008). The Difficult Legacy of the Nouvelle Vague: Olivier Assayas and French Film Authors at the End of Auteurism Beyond Auteurism: New Directions in Authorial Film Practices in France, Italy and Spain since the 1980s (pp. 81-105). Bristol: Intellect.
roland-scialom Isabelle, a seventeen years old beautiful girl, who belongs to a middle class family with a good standing of living, who attends a good school in which she seems to be doing well, decides by herself to become a prostitute who fix rendezvous in hotel rooms, with customers much more old than her, via internet and mobile phone messaging.Her decision comes after an episode which happened during a summer vacation when she lost her virginity with a boy friend with respect to whom she was indifferent. This experience was unpleasant to her.The film don't give to the spectator any clue about the reason why she decided to become a prostitute. My interpretation is that, instead of developing her libido in a healthy way, she did it in a wrong and vicious way. Actually, she doesn't enjoy sex but enjoy the idea of behaving as a prostitute very well rewarded for her job.The story doesn't show this shocking behaviour as a disgrace, but just as something wrong.Eventually, after the death of a customer whom she liked, Georges, and the threats from both the police and her mother, she quits prostitution.The last scene in which the Georges' wife fix a rendezvous with her, in the same hotel room in which Georges died is very interesting, but also doesn't give any clue about what is right and what is wrong.Concluding, the film is interesting and caught my attention till the end, but it didn't answer my quests.
rowmorg Marine first has sex when she turns 17, with a German boy on the beach during her holidays in the south of France. She has no feelings about him. In the autumn she is dressed up in her mother's stolen grey shirt, blue skirt and high heels, heading towards a big downtown hotel to see Georges, a man probably five times her age, at least. He pays her good money just to caress and stare at the beautiful girl. She does other clients who f++k her hard, we see her at it, but she remains unmoved. In the winter, her mother finds out from the police who investigated the sudden death of Georges, under Marine, while f++king her. Her mother finds all her money, the servant finds out, her young brother finds out, her stepfather finds out. She remains unmoved and only tells a trusting psychiatrist what occurred between Georges and her. In the spring, she hooks up with a boy from school, a "normal" affair at last, but when he starts staying over and having breakfast with the family, she announces that it is over between them. She picks up a phone chip and puts it in her phone. She allows a small smile as dozens of messages from clients rack up. She is not dressed up this time: she returns to Georges' hotel. Georges' aged wife turns up and takes her up to room 6093. They rest there together and Marine thanks her for bringing her to the room, for closure. When she wakes up Charlotte Rampling is gone and the movie ends. Lots of nudity of the pretty young lead actress. Watchable, but meaningless.
Gordon-11 This film tells the story of a teenage middle class girl who explores her sexuality by becoming a prostitute."Young and Beautiful" shows a lot of skin, but little of the mind. I mean this in a good way though, because it keeps Isabelle's life choices mysterious. When it does show Isabelle's mind (in the scene where she talks to the psychologist), she opens up and shows her true emotions that have been suppressed. Isabelle's short confession is enough to provoke much thought, and makes the film more sophisticated. It's just like the scene towards the end, when she switches on her phone, her brief facial expression is already telling us a lot.The plot is not as tight or thrilling as Ozon's previous film "In the House", but it is still enjoyable as it lingers my mind after watching it.