Un Poison Violent by Katell Quillévéré

In the Catholic tradition, the Confirmation comes along with adolescence; the culmination of the education. Anna is 14 years old, an age at which religion - and therefore faith - becomes really understandable. In her debut feature, Katell Quillévéré shows us the path of a girl who is prone to questioning these issues.

She finds herself caught between her mother, a practicing Catholic, and her father, apparently an atheist, who has left for another woman when Anna returns from boarding school for the holidays. So, she becomes closer to her sick grandfather, who hates religion. Despite this, Anna does not let herself be influenced by the choices of those around her and tries throughout the film to form her own opinions. In this way Catholicism is portrayed in relation to the ideological perspectives of the characters. This allows the director to discuss all existing points of view.

Furthermore, she falls in love with a boy. In a delicate and natural scene between the two adolescents, Anna discovers her body. Besides, the young actors Clara Augarde and Youen Leboulanger-Gourvil deliver particularly touching and true performances.

By Laurie Zaffarana