Criterion A Day #7 - Fat Girl

The Criterion Collection, a continuing series of important classic and contemporary films...

Pop Culture Beast presents a Criterion-a-Day, reviewing Criterion titles daily, every other week (until we run out).

Fat Girl
Spine #259
Written and Directed by:  Catherine Breillat
Starring: Anais Reboux, Roxane Mesquida, Libero de Rienzo, Arsinee Khanjian, Romain Goupil and Laura Betti
Special features:  Behind-the-scenes footage of the making of Fat Girl, two video interviews with director Catherine Breillat, one conducted the might after the film's world premiere at the 2001 Berlin Film Festival, the other a look back at the film's production and alternate ending, French and US theatrical trailers, booklet featuring an essay by film scholar Ginette Vincendeau, a 2001 interview with Breillat and a piece by Breillat on the title.


From the box:

Twelve-year-old Aniais is fat.  Her sister, fifteen-year-old Elena, is a beauty.  While the girls are on vacation with their parents, Anais tags along as Elena explores the dreary seaside town.  Elena meets Fernando, an Italian law student; he seduces her with promises of love, and the ever watchful Anais bears witness to the corruption of her sister's innocence.  Fat Girl is not only a portrayal of female adolescent sexuality and the complicated bond between siblings but also a shocking assertion by the always controversial Catherine Breillat that violent oppression exists at the core of male- female relations.


I'm not entirely sure how to classify this one.  It's a  fascinating study of youth and sexuality and the relationship between two sisters but it suffers the same fate as another french film that was on the path to brilliance, Haute Tension.  In the case of both of these films, the endings kinda ruin everything.

I won't spoil this one so fear not, suffice it to say, it's just to shocking to even be shocking.  In fact, I was questioning what I was even seeing as being real.  It was too much and it very nearly ruined the rest of the movie.

That said, Fat Girl is beautifully shot and wonderfully acted.  The performances from the two leads are fearless and poignant.  In fact, it's the performances and the beauty of the shots that really save this movie. 

Criterion has again done a great job with the transfer.  The special features are a bit lacking but its worth a watch, despite the extremely flawed ending.

The movie seems to want to demonize men a little bit and being a French film, you see much more than you might be used to seeing in an American movie so be aware of that. 

Overall, Fat Girl is almost a great film that suffers from a wacky ending that sort of leaves one wondering why? The ending doesn't quite ruin the film but it gets pretty close.

Fat Girl

Criterion Collection #259

Pop Culture Beast Rating

7/10