“ADULT SEX EDUCATION”
Starring: Vincent Lindon, Sandrine Kiberlain, Aure Atika and Arthur Le Houérou
Directed by: Stéphane Brizé
MPAA Rating: Unrated
Genre: Drama, Art/Foreign in French with subtitiles
Running Time: 1hr 41min
Distributed by: Lorber Films
By John Delia
Mademoiselle Chambon is one of those films that provide a look at relationships showing critical turning points in some people’s lives. It is extremely well acted, gets touching at times and delivers a heartbreaker. Although somewhat of a heartless and hurtful subject matter, the movie does entertain.
The film centers on Veronique Chambon (Sandrine Kiberlain), a lonely woman who has taken a job as an interim teacher at a private grade school in France. One of her pupils is Jeremy (Arthur Le Houérou), an average student from a nice family. Jeremy’s mother Anne-Marie (Aure Atika) usually picks up Jeremy after school each day, but hurts her back on the job. She sends her husband Jean (Vincent Lindon), a builder, to get Jeremy after school and he meets his teacher. On a second occasion while picking up his son Veronique asks Jean if he would come to their class to talk about his job so they could learn more about the workplace. Following his presentation she asks him to repair a window at her apartment. So starts an unexpected romance that challenges the relationships of everyone involved.
Both Kiberlain and Lindon have excellent chemistry as the forbidden couple. Director Stéphane Brizé keeps the camera close as he shows the growing attraction between the two. The burning desire comes off the screen so well that you almost feel that it’s a good thing. Brizé slowly develops the relationship and all the elements that lead up to an understandable ending.
The filming including some glimpses of French life in the small town is traveler worthy and offers a great canvas for the film. I enjoyed the fact that Brizé keeps the film moving along at a fast clip so there isn’t any time for the mind to wander.
The film is unrated but does contain language, adult situations and some violence.
The film is presented in the French language with English subtitles.
FINAL ANALYSIS: A performance film that connects. (3.5 of 5)