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21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The achievement of happiness and its loss., 11 Oct 2000
This is a fine film of its type, an almost unbearabley sad film about a young woman's achievement of happiness; and how, because of her own inadequacies, she is unable to hold on to itPomme, played by Isabelle Huppert, is a sweet, innocent and docile young woman who is an apprentice hairdresser. She goes on holiday to the sea-side with her employer, Marylene, played by Florence Giorgetti, a sexually voracious and vastly experienced older woman who, having just been dumped by her lover of three years, is on the look-out for someone to fill the void. Not surprisingly, it doesn't take her long to find someone, at which point she selfishly abandons Pomme, leaving her alone and lonely. But a pretty girl cannot remain alone for long at the sea-side in France - one wonders how she managed to remain alone for so long in Paris - and soon there comes along Francois, played by Yves Beneyton, a very tall and very thin young man, who, physically, is no answer to any girl's dream. But he is a student and he talks well, though he has difficulty getting her to talk at all. Her extreme reticence is puzzling - and unrealistic. She may be your relatively uneducated, average girl, but most average girls in my experience are capable of asking the usual and obvious questions and showing an interest in the man they are with. However, she is otherwise so lovable, so pretty, sweet and tractable that he is willing to overlook her deficiencies, thinking he can change her, that all she needs is a little education to make her and their relationship perfect. He tries his best but is eventually disillusioned: she seems to have no desire for self-improvement and no interest in the books he gives her to read. Sadly, but slowly, he comes to realise that, despite all her good qualities, she will never make a suitable wife for the high-flyer he knows himself to be, and being the good man he is, he is racked with guilt that he should have so cruelly raised her expectations. With a heavy heart he breaks the news to her and she, poor girl, tractable as always, just walks away without a word of complaint. But, in truth, her happiness has been shattered, her hopes for the future destroyed. There, years later, he visits her and they walk in the garden reminiscing about their former happy times together. And then, when he leaves, she walks back down the long bleak corridor to continue with her knitting and her dreary pointless existence.... To think, she once had happiness and everything to live for and now she has nothing. Could anything be more sad?
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