
Éditions Montparnasse - Éditions Montparnasse
Sortie : 11/01/2002
DVD
Réalisateur : Catherine Breillat
Acteurs : Anaïs Reboux, Roxane Mesquida, Libero De Rienzo, Arsinée Khanjian, Romain Goupil
Adolescent, Drame, Famille, Jalousie, Psychologique, Rivalité, Sexe




This film is called "A Fat Girl" in the UK, apart from being shown in a few select art house cinemas this film has not yet been given a UK video/DVD release, as I am writing, so I am probably claiming a first or at least one of the few to have seen this film on DVD anywhere in the UK.
This film was well publicised amongst the art film circle, it may not have aroused public condemnation in France maybe because of it relaxed attitude to sex, but much of the controversy involves the actresses, who are 15 and 12 years of age, involved in sexual situation and nudity even though these were brief and not as graphic as one might expect that fact they were under the legal age of consent (age 16) was enough to provoke an outcry of "child porn" amongst some circles. To view this film objectively one has to look beyond the social stigma and see it what it really is and that it reveals a kind of relationship many teenagers of that age goes through in France.
Two teenage sisters, the older girl Elena is extremely attractive and has a boyfriend, her younger sister Anais who is fat and less attractive was jealouse of Elena and fed up of the way she looked. The sisters has a somewhat love hate relationship and in a broken family and Anais felt emotionally tortured when seeing her sister making love with her boyfriend that she blames her for her immoral behaviour while privately she craved the same kind of attention, eventually Anais's wish was answered but in a less than ideal circumstances that involve the death of Elena and her mother.
In Breillat's film we dont see a strong plot and one would expect this to be made for TV rather than for cinema release, there were brief nudity of Elena including her pubic hair and Anais's breast none of which is particularly sexual, however there was two scenes that shows Elena's boyfriend with a erect penis and while he was putting on a condom though none of it was graphic.
Incidentally "A Ma Soeur" was given a "12" certificate in France but needed an "18" certificate in the UK after consultation with a lawyer for clearance over possible child obscenity laws.
Overall its a fairly boring film and one that is superceded by its reputation that involves young actresses.