Movie

Water Lilies

2007 · 85 min

A quietly intense, emotionally raw immersion into teenage confusion and desire, lingering like a held breath.

Overview: Set during a sultry summer in a French suburb, Marie is desperate to join the local pool's synchronized swimming team, but is her interest solely for the sake of sport or for a chance to get close to Floriane, the bad girl of the team? Sciamma, and the two leads, capture the uncertainty of teenage sexuality with a sympathetic eye in this delicate drama of the angst of coming-of-age.

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How it feels

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Tone: melancholicstrength 2 of 3
tensestrength 2 of 3
earneststrength 2 of 3
darkstrength 1 of 3
Pacing: slow-burn, 1 of 4, from slow-burn to relentless
Attention: demanding, 4 of 4, from background-friendly to demanding
Themes: coming-of-age
identity
sexuality
friendship
isolation
Places: suburbs
school
Era: contemporary
Audience: adult
Form: nonlinear
Content intensity: Gore none
Language mild
Violence none
Sex strong

All scales, 0 to 10

Scales, 0 to 10
Scale	Value	0 to 10
Action	1
Horror	0
Humour	2
Realism	9
Romance	6
Tension	5
Darkness	6
Complexity	6
Emotional weight	8

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Where to watch in the UK

No UK streaming, rental or purchase options are known.

Streaming data from JustWatch.TMDB

Details

Genres: drama, romance
Directed by: Céline Sciamma
Written by: Céline Sciamma
Starring: Pauline Acquart, Louise Blachère, Adèle Haenel, Warren Jacquin, Christel Baras, Marie Gili-Pierre, Alice de Lencquesaing, Claire Pierrat
Music: Para One
Cinematography: Crystel Fournier
Runtime: 85 min
Country: France
Languages: French

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Water Lilies

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