18 Years Old and Rising

Audience Reviews

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Audience Member How much can a boy lie to impress a girl? Rated 2.5/5 Stars •  Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 02/08/23 Full Review Audience Member Set in 1981 against the backdrop of the election of François Mitterand to the presidency, Jâ(TM)aime regarder les filles profiles the life Primo, a student trying to achieve his Baccalaurà (C)at diploma and become accepted by a group of rich friends. The film proves charming, albeit incomplete. Pierre Niney, who plays Primo, the unfortunate protagonist, engenders the audienceâ(TM)s sympathy despite behaviour which ranges from naïve to deplorable. Primo wishes to fit in but seems unable to take any responsibility for his actions which hurt himself, his friends and his family. Primo lives in Paris, working at a variety of poor jobs in order to make ends meet as he studies for the upcoming Bac examinations (for a second time). He devotes so much time to his meaningless jobs and hanging out with friends that he has precious energy remaining for his studies. His teacher does not believe that Primo will pass so he offers to pay for champagne if Primo scores highly on his exams. Meanwhile, France is in the midst of the most polarizing elections in recent memory as the liberal Mitterand is challenging the centre-right Valà (C)ry Giscard dâ(TM)Estaing. During the presidential run-off and subsequent legislative elections, tensions boil over as the upper class worries that they may lose what they have and the lower class demands more equitable treatment. Primo is largely ignorant of these concerns; when he visits his parents to vote, he leaves before casting a ballot after he has been insulted by his brother. During a Q and A session, director Frà (C)dà (C)ric Louf mentioned that the film was intended to be a political awakening for Primo although the film did not make this clear. Everything that Primo does is instinctive and based on the here and now. He was infatuated with the bourgeoise Gabrielle, at the expense of school, politics and the affections of the more sincere Delphine. Louf shows another side of Paris that most films ignore and profiles personalities rather than locations. Occasionally, one may see a landmark such as the Sacrà (C)-CÅ"ur Cathedral from Primoâ(TM)s rooftop but the Jâ(TM)aime regarder les filles is a story of those who inhabit the city, not the city itself. The soundtrack, fashion and scenery showcase a moment in time and adequately convey what it was like to live in Paris during the 1980s. The screenplay is light-hearted, at the expense of more detail or further character development. Largely, the actors, many of whom belong to the Comà (C)die Française make the film what it is. Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 01/16/23 Full Review Audience Member J'aime aussi regarder les filles... mais j'ai pas aimà (C) regardà (C) ce film Rated 1.5/5 Stars •  Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars 02/12/23 Full Review Audience Member My French Film Festival online Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/17/23 Full Review Audience Member I think that a film romance has to have characters you sympathize with or like in order to work. There's a fine line between a sympathetic loser and a moron. and unfortunately the character of Primo crossed the line into moronhood, behaving so stupidly and insensitively throughout most of the movie that it was hard to feel too invested in his love life. It was also a little difficult to see what Delphine saw in him. I appreciated the elements of class and 1980s politics that were injected into the story, but overall it just didn't work that well for me. Rated 2.5/5 Stars •  Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 01/14/23 Full Review Audience Member J'aime regarder les filles (Me gusta mirar a las chicas), parte del French Film Festival Online, es un drama sobre Primo (Pierre Niney) que un buen dia se encuentra en una fiesta de ninos ricos (el siendo clase media) y decide mentir sobre su posicion social con tal de quedar con una de las chicas que conoce ahi. Como suele pasar las mentiras se van cayendo una a una y se ve descubierto, no sin antes conseguir el amor de la mejor amiga de la pretendida original. Buen ritmo, buenas actuaciones y una historia creible que no tiene salidas faciles. Vale la pena. (texto intencionalmente sin acentos) Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/05/23 Full Review Read all reviews

18 Years Old and Rising

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