36 Fillette (1988)

This film is also showing at our sister cinema, Ritz Cinemas

Australian Premiere - 4K Restoration

‘Impressive, painfully candid … Lili is played with devastating realism by Delphine Zentout.’ – David Stratton, The Movie Show

Furious at what she perceives as the hypocrisy and banality of the world around her, 14-year-old Lili (Delphine Zentout) has only one goal: to lose her virginity while on a family holiday along France’s Atlantic coast. Sneaking out one evening to drink alcohol and club with adults, she meets fortysomething Maurice (Étienne Chicot), a jaded playboy who has few compunctions about taking advantage of her. Unsure of how far she’s willing to go and incensed by the older man’s indifference, the assertive yet vulnerable Lili is placed in increasingly unsafe situations, caught in a battle of wills in which the power dynamic is far from tilted her way.

Featuring a key supporting role by French New Wave legend Jean-Pierre Léaud, Catherine Breillat’s international breakthrough film – based on a novel she wrote about her own teenage experiences – was controversial in its day, and time has if anything only increased its transgressive charge. It remains a frank, unsentimental and singularly pungent depiction of feminine coming-of-age, anchored by Zentout’s fearless performance.

Introduced by Philippa Hawker at Lido Cinemas and Beaudicea Smith-Davies at Ritz Cinemas.

Rating

R18+

Duration

88 min

Country

France

Language

French (English subtitles)

Cast

Delphine Zentout, Étienne Chicot, Olivier Parnière, Jean-Pierre Léaud, Berta Domínguez D., Jean-François Stévenin, Diane Bellego, Adrienne Bonnet

Director

Catherine Breillat