Water lilies is a foreign movie that is filmed in France. The film takes places in a Paris suburb Cergy-Pontoise. It tells the story of three teen girls about their coming of age. Floriane who is a beautiful blond with a perfect body and remarkable talent in the pool, Marie is a tomboy and doesn’t know how to deal with confusion of her sexual identity, Anne is an overweight-but-outgoing swimmer who has a crush on a male swimmer that like the flawless Floriane. Coming of age in foreign countries isn’t different from coming of age in America. In this movie the three girls are faced with many of the same problems that teens here go through. I am sure there are plenty more foreign films similar to this one. This movie isn’t a true story but it represents problems that some teen girls are faced with all over the world, whether it be about the sudden feelings they have to explore relationships with the same sex or not being happy with their body
In the opening scene after a synchronized swimming contest they show Anne waiting until all the other girls to leave the locker room to change, because she was embarrassed to change in front of them because of what her body looked like. She was scared to show her body because she was different from the rest of the girls and didn’t fit in with the image they all had. In the Book Fat girls the Author’s weight dramatically affected her coming of age she was ashamed of her body as well. Judith Moore experienced teasing, harassment, depression because of her weight in her coming of age years. As like Anne she was also ashamed about her body because she didn’t look like the other girls around her looked like and the continued pressure she had to fit in with everyone.
Marie throughout the movie struggles with the feelings that she had toward Floriane. She was a young lesbian crushing on another girl but she was scared of that want she had for her due to the insecurities that society brings on gay/lesbian people. I would say that it is more welcomed overseas than it is in America. In the article growing up gay/ growing up lesbian it had many stories’ that described what it was like to be a gay in a society that doesn’t understand what it’s like. My interpretation of Marie’s character was she didn’t show her feelings sooner to floriane because she didn’t know how Floriane would react to the whole situation of her being gay. All the things she didn’t want to lose her as a friend and be left alone. Linda Heals from the article who came out of the closet to her roommate the reaction of her roommate was to move out just because Linda was homosexual. Linda felt like she couldn’t tell anyone about her sexual orientation. Marie also felt if she would tell Floriane about her true feelings she wouldn’t be able to accept the fact that she was a lesbian.
The coming of age experience I would say it is a universal experience. That every adolescent goes through some time in their lives whether it being able to come out the closet like Marie from the film or Linda from the articles they were faced with similar kinds of problems. In Anne case being able to live inside her own skins this problem of acceptance of herself for whom she was like Judith Moore.
First off, I find it neat that you found a film displaying a few different coming of age situations. Thinking about the article from Heal, I can see why it is such a hard aspect for gays and lesbians to come out. As a whole, the world seems to still see homosexuality as going too much against the norm. In this it makes those who are hesitate that much more for the fear of how it will change their life and the relationships that compose of their life. Though I can't prove this, it may not be helping those who are homosexual for them to be hesitant because it displays a sense of them not being okay with who they are (then that rippling onto society). In the same respect however, I can't blame them for the fear they have.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed readying your blog. This film sounds really interesting and relateble for teens all over the world. You were right when you said that the coming of age experience for girls is not much different whether you're from the U.S. or anywhere else in the world. The struggles that gay and lesbian teens go through in discovering who they are and telling others who they are is something that is similar no matter where they are from. Also the struggles of being comfortable with your weight and body like Anne did is an issue for teens. It's important for them to know they are not alone in their insecurities.
ReplyDeleteI agree completely with the idea that insecurities are universal. No matter where your from or who raised you, your always going to feel a form of pressure to be something your not. Whether it be that you a perfect body, or feel as though homosexuals are lesser, or even something simple as in your outfit for the day. Everyone experiences this stress of trying to pull through their every day lives as somebody "perfect." Our loved ones need to make us feel special everyday and listen to what we have to say in order to decrease insecurities.
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