Peppermint Soda (1977)

Peppermint Soda (1977)

Synopsis:
13-year-old Anne (Eleonore Klarwein) and her older sister Frederique (Odile Michel) grow up in 1960s Paris.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

  • Coming-of-Age
  • French Films
  • Siblings

Review:
First-time writer/director Diane Kurys’ autobiographical film about the travails of female adolescence rarely hits a false note. Kurys well remembers the small pains of teenage girlhood: anxiety over getting one’s period, jealousy of one’s older sister, curiosity (and laughable misinformation) about sex, the desperate need for pantyhose when all your friends are wearing it– Slightly less effective are the scenes taking place at the girls’ authoritarian school, where the teachers come across as stereotypes rather than individuals, and the children’s behavior (as well as the discipline that follows) seems excessive. Nonetheless, Kurys must be applauded for telling her story the way she remembers it, and for creating a film filled with so many moments of quiet, poignant authenticity.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

  • Eleonore Klarwein as knobby-kneed Anne
  • Many memorable, often amusing, glimpses of adolescent angst

Must See?
No, though it’s not to be missed by those who enjoy coming-of-age stories.

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One thought on “Peppermint Soda (1977)

  1. First viewing. Not must-see. ~ but it’s likely to be more of interest to female ffs. The average male ff may (as I did) simply start nodding off.

    I watched half of this and then started skipping ahead to the ending. This is not a type of film I’m fond of – I get that the writer / director is successful in capturing the essence of her younger years, as if she has a photographic memory. But what we’re watching isn’t particularly cinematic even if it is genuine.

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