'Fat Girl' is about two sisters who share a love-hate relationship while vacationing at a residential beach side in France. Elena(Roxane Mesquida), is 15, pretty with a thin and picture perfect body and the titular character, Elena's younger sister, Anais, played by amazing newcomer, Anais Reboux. Cute-as-a-button, 12-year old Anais has a weight problem that is exacerbated by a family that offers nothing. No understanding, no affection, no love or understanding to help build up the Anais's self esteem. Rosy cheeked Anais has already found her own way of dealing with her emptiness. Food. The movie begins with the two sisters walking to an outdoor café. There, the girls meet 20 something year old college student, Fernando(Libero De Rienzo)who's got his eyes on Elena. They sit with him and while Fernando and Elena start conversing, Anais is off in her own world devouring one of her favorite dishes. A banana split. Elena and Fernando immediately hit it off and start kissing despite the fact that they've only known each other for a few minutes. Fernando drives Elena back to the gate where Anais has to walk back. There's no doubt that Anais is the third wheel but must be with her sister at all times as that is the only way the parents will let them out.
In the film's most touching scene, while Anais is swimming in the pool, she performs a soap opera like scene to herself when she chooses the ladder pole and dock leg from the pool as two men who she's in love with.
Fernando sneaks into Elena's bedroom she shares with Anais (who's bed is right across the room). The two young lovers spend the night kissing and fondling each other while Anais pretends to be asleep. Deep down inside, we see that Anais wishes to be in her sister's shoes. Elena plays hard to get on the first night and claims she doesn't want to give up her virginity just yet to Fernando. The girls' father gets an unexpected call from work and he cuts his vocation short and leaves the mother with the girls. Fernando gives Elena an expensive antique ring that he steals from his mother claiming his love for Elena but it's very obvious it's just to get her in bed. Elena doesn't realize the scheme involving the ring and gives in. They both have sex while Anais hears it all only wishing it was her and not her beautiful sister. She cries in silence as jealousy along with the urge of wanting to be loved, overwhelm her. At this point you have to feel nothing but sympathy for poor Anais. It's like you can almost feel her feelings. All she wants is to be loved by anyone and feel the sexual desires her sister feels. But soon Elena's romance bubble is popped the moment Fernando's mother comes into her house the next morning demanding that she give the ring back. Fernando's mother shares a story about her son's trick into getting girls he's been with to get them to sleep with him. Elena's mother is shocked when she hears the news, gets embarrassed and decides to pack up and head back home with the girls.
On their way back home, the mother pulls over to sleep off her exhaustion on a highway rest stop. Elena falls asleep too as Anais sits in the back chewing on some candy, thinking about everything. Within literally seconds into the scene, it takes a dramatic turn. A deranged stranger, after brutally killing her mother and sister, pounces on young Anais and although he doesn't kill her, he brutally rapes her. The scene was very difficult to watch. I really don't know how the young actress managed to do this difficult scene and pull it off so well with such meaning in her eyes. What makes the scene even more intense is that Anais begins to suddenly welcome the disgusting crime the man is inflicting on her body. The next morning, the police are investigating the murder scene and the bodies of the dead mother and sister. They find Anais in the woods where she denies that she's been raped and the movie ends there. After watching the movie a few times, I guess I can say that I see Catherine Breillat's point. Anais was desperate to lose her virginity. She denies the rape because she wants to feel that she gave her virginity away rather than face the truth that it was actually violently stolen from her. The rapist was an example of Anais's point although I'm guessing no one was expecting Anais's "first time" to be so violent and unexpected.
All in all this film was very well made and I give all of the credit to young Anais Reboux who's courage and amazing talent, despite having no previous film experience, totally blew me away. I couldn't help but feel sympathy for her. I felt like giving Anais a big hug myself. I just hope her amazing talent doesn't go to waste and she stars in many future movies. Catherine Breillat does an amazing job once again by molding young amateurs into wonderful masterpieces. 9 stars!!!
Unrated. Contains some language, violence, nudity, sex and a graphic rape scene involving a young girl.
In the film's most touching scene, while Anais is swimming in the pool, she performs a soap opera like scene to herself when she chooses the ladder pole and dock leg from the pool as two men who she's in love with.
Fernando sneaks into Elena's bedroom she shares with Anais (who's bed is right across the room). The two young lovers spend the night kissing and fondling each other while Anais pretends to be asleep. Deep down inside, we see that Anais wishes to be in her sister's shoes. Elena plays hard to get on the first night and claims she doesn't want to give up her virginity just yet to Fernando. The girls' father gets an unexpected call from work and he cuts his vocation short and leaves the mother with the girls. Fernando gives Elena an expensive antique ring that he steals from his mother claiming his love for Elena but it's very obvious it's just to get her in bed. Elena doesn't realize the scheme involving the ring and gives in. They both have sex while Anais hears it all only wishing it was her and not her beautiful sister. She cries in silence as jealousy along with the urge of wanting to be loved, overwhelm her. At this point you have to feel nothing but sympathy for poor Anais. It's like you can almost feel her feelings. All she wants is to be loved by anyone and feel the sexual desires her sister feels. But soon Elena's romance bubble is popped the moment Fernando's mother comes into her house the next morning demanding that she give the ring back. Fernando's mother shares a story about her son's trick into getting girls he's been with to get them to sleep with him. Elena's mother is shocked when she hears the news, gets embarrassed and decides to pack up and head back home with the girls.
On their way back home, the mother pulls over to sleep off her exhaustion on a highway rest stop. Elena falls asleep too as Anais sits in the back chewing on some candy, thinking about everything. Within literally seconds into the scene, it takes a dramatic turn. A deranged stranger, after brutally killing her mother and sister, pounces on young Anais and although he doesn't kill her, he brutally rapes her. The scene was very difficult to watch. I really don't know how the young actress managed to do this difficult scene and pull it off so well with such meaning in her eyes. What makes the scene even more intense is that Anais begins to suddenly welcome the disgusting crime the man is inflicting on her body. The next morning, the police are investigating the murder scene and the bodies of the dead mother and sister. They find Anais in the woods where she denies that she's been raped and the movie ends there. After watching the movie a few times, I guess I can say that I see Catherine Breillat's point. Anais was desperate to lose her virginity. She denies the rape because she wants to feel that she gave her virginity away rather than face the truth that it was actually violently stolen from her. The rapist was an example of Anais's point although I'm guessing no one was expecting Anais's "first time" to be so violent and unexpected.
All in all this film was very well made and I give all of the credit to young Anais Reboux who's courage and amazing talent, despite having no previous film experience, totally blew me away. I couldn't help but feel sympathy for her. I felt like giving Anais a big hug myself. I just hope her amazing talent doesn't go to waste and she stars in many future movies. Catherine Breillat does an amazing job once again by molding young amateurs into wonderful masterpieces. 9 stars!!!
Unrated. Contains some language, violence, nudity, sex and a graphic rape scene involving a young girl.
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