Like a pre-teen dancing alone at a party, _Water Lilies_ (_La Naissance des pieuvres_) embodies an awkward grace that's impossible not to watch. Like that dance, it has its flaws and occasionally falls out of step or misses a beat, but like the dancer the film is passionate, pure and welcomes your empathy with open arms. _Water Lilies_ is Céline Sciamma's first feature length film (it predates _Tomboy_ by 4 years and _Le Portrait de la Jeune Fille en Feu_ by 12), and is the story of a pubescent girl realizing she's in love with another, older girl Yet what sets _Water Lilies_ apart from other coming-of-age gay films is the broad spectrum of teen girl issues the movie addresses: there are story lines that touch on body perception, mad passion, slut shaming... _Water Lilies_ is a stunning first film that heralds the arrival of a voice that is, even at the outset, poetic and passionate at the same time.

The first emotional adventures and misadventures of three French teenagers discovering their sexuality. _La Naissance des pieuvres_ is a delicate but thoughtful film that reminds us how influential those precious formative years are in a person's life. Noteworthy, first leading roles for all three main actresses, who show through their performances their great potential.

I can't shake the feeling that I watched this before a few years ago (before I joined Trakt) but forgot. Lots of déjà vu throughout. But if I did watch it once before, it's not really surprising to me that I'd forget. Like most of the (admittedly few) French films I've seen, this one isn't particularly uplifting. It's actually becoming more and more depressing, the more I think about it. The soundtrack is quite nice—probably my favorite part of the film, though a couple of places where the music switched mid-scene from non-diegetic to obviously diegetic (like at the club, when Marie and Floriane moved to the dance floor) broke the flow. I would award the cinematography a close second to the soundtrack, if not a tie for first place. There are some beautifully framed shots in this movie, balanced out by the scenes in drab back hallways of the swim center. Oh, and I must give a shout-out to the metaphorical title. It just ties together so many of the film's elements. If the film's point is that teenagers are assholes, it was made. I can't honestly say that any of the characters were likable. The two protagonists (Marie and Anne, for clarity) aren't actually assholes, but everyone around them is. From this stems the dispiriting tone of the film. Though I have to admit, how would one go about writing an uplifting film about teenage angst?