KEEPER
DISCOVERY D: Guillaume Senez. Belgium/Switzerland/France. 95 min. Sep 15, 7 pm Scotiabank 3 Sep 17, 9:30 pm TIFF Bell Lightbox 2 Sep 19, 3:30 pm Scotiabank 13. See listings. Rating: NNNN
This teen pregnancy story trades the strained witticisms, detachment and snark of Jason Reitman’s Juno for something genuine, sobering and moving.
Maxime (Kacey Mottet Klein) and Mélanie (Galatea Bellugi) are infatuated 15-year-olds with their heads stuck in the clouds. A pink stripe doesn’t immediately change things. The teens remain both sweet and delusional as they optimistically plan parenthood.
Director Senez and co-screenwriter David Lambert are perceptive about details like the class differences between the pair that subtly informs their individual decisions as reality slowly creeps in. They gently move toward a powerhouse final act anchored by Bellugi’s devastating performance.
Keep an eye out for her.
