A sensitive study of budding adolescent desires, a pervert’s delight, plus synchronized swimming. Yes, “Water Lilies” will be many things to many people.
Fortunately, this celebration of French hormones comes from a consistently feminine point of view — it’s 27-year-old writer-director Celine Sciamma’s first feature.
Guys can drool all they want at the locker room scenes and suggestive underwater camera angles, but “Lilies” is really all about how it feels for a girl, and is pretty observant at that game.
Awkward beanpole Marie (Pauline Acquart) is infatuated with the pretty, provocative water ballet team captain Floriane (Adele Haenel), who uses her new best friend like a slave.
But Floriane, who has a secret — not what you’d imagine (let’s just say it’s very French) — also invests a great deal of trust in the pliable baby lesbian. Meanwhile, Marie’s chubby childhood pal Anne (Louise Blachere) kookily, and with no little poignancy, charts the unknown territory of guys who are only interested in one thing … if at all.
Sciamma remembers quite clearly what teenage fixations are like, and knows how to inform them with mature insight. All three young actresses are superbly convincing as guideless young girls (there are no adults to speak of in the movie) stumbling onto the emotional paths that will define the rest of their lives.
“Water Lilies”
Not rated but contains, sex, nudity, language. 1 hour, 25 minutes. Written and directed by Celine Sciamma; starring Pauline Acquart, Louise Blachère, Adèle Haenel and Warren Jacquin. Opens today at Starz FilmCenter.
