A Radiant Girl (French: Une jeune fille qui va bien, lit. 'A young girl who is doing well') is a 2021 French drama film written and directed by Sandrine Kiberlain in her feature directorial debut. The film stars Rebecca Marder as a young Jewish girl aspiring to become an actress during the occupation of France. The film premiered in the Critics' Week section of the 2021 Cannes Film Festival, where it competed for the Caméra d'Or.
| A Radiant Girl | |
|---|---|
.png) Theatrical release poster | |
| French | Une jeune fille qui va bien |
| Directed by | Sandrine Kiberlain |
| Screenplay by | Sandrine Kiberlain |
| Produced by | |
| Starring |
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| Cinematography | Guillaume Schiffman |
| Edited by | François Gédigier |
| Music by |
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Production companies |
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| Distributed by | Ad Vitam Distribution |
Release dates |
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Running time | 98 minutes |
| Country | France |
| Language | French |
| Budget | €3.7 million[1] |
| Box office | $1.2 million[2] |
Premise
editIn 1942, 19-year-old Irène is a young Jewish girl living in Paris. She has a passion for theatre and dreams of becoming an actress. Irène rehearses Marivaux's L'Épreuve to prepare for an entrance exam to the conservatory.
Cast
edit- Rebecca Marder as Irène
- André Marcon as André, Irène's father
- Anthony Bajon as Igor, Irène's brother
- India Hair as Viviane, Irène's friend
- Françoise Widhoff as Marceline, Irène's grandmother
- Florence Viala as Josiane, a neighbor
- Ben Attal as Jo
- Cyril Metzger as Jacques
- Jean Chevalier as Gilbert
Production
editIn May 2017, Sandrine Kiberlain revealed in an interview with Elle magazine that she would be preparing her first feature film and that it was to be a long-term project, which would require a lot of time and work.[3] In an interview with Gala magazine, Kiberlain called the film "extremely personal" and explained, "I had the story in me for ten years, and it took me a long year to write it, alone."[4]
Filming began on 17 July 2020 in the 8th arrondissement of Paris, for a period of 5 weeks.[5] Filming concluded in August 2020 in Vexin, which included shots at Nesles-la-Vallée on the Sausseron river, as well as a road between Hédouville and Ronquerolles in the Val-d'Oise department.[6]
Release
edit
The film was selected as a special screening in the Critics' Week section at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival,[7][8] where it had its world premiere on 8 July 2021.[9] It had its theatrical release in France through Ad Vitam Distribution on 26 January 2022.[10]
Reception
editCritical response
editOn Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 82% based on 22 reviews, with an average rating of 7/10.[11] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 62 out of 100, based on 7 critic reviews, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.[12] A Radiant Girl received an average rating of 3.6 out of 5 stars on the French website AlloCiné, based on 28 reviews.[13]
Jonathan Romney of Screen Daily praised the "highly appealing effusiveness" of Marder's performance but criticized Kiberlain's stylistic choices and the film's "heavy-handed" conclusion: "A Radiant Girl is highly theatrical [...] in its emphasis on the nature of stage performance – which often gets the film bogged down in backstage discussion of a sort that can too easily feel alienating to film audiences. This only adds to the awkwardness of a film that - especially in its treatment of one of the gravest topics in modern French history - ultimately feels as callow as its heroine."[14]
Accolades
edit| Award | Date of ceremony | Category | Recipient(s) | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cannes Film Festival | 17 July 2021 | Caméra d'Or | Sandrine Kiberlain | Nominated | [15] |
| César Awards | 24 February 2023 | Most Promising Actress | Rebecca Marder | Nominated | [16] |
| Lumières Award | 16 January 2023 | Best Female Revelation | Nominated | [17] |
References
edit- ^ "Une jeune fille qui va bien". JP Box-Office (in French). Retrieved 7 December 2023.
- ^ "A Radiant Girl (2021)". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Retrieved 27 December 2022.
- ^ Williams, Patrick (12 May 2017). "Sandrine Kiberlain : " J'ai adoré rencontrer ma fille, Suzanne "". Elle. No. 3725. Retrieved 27 June 2021.
- ^ Cardinal, Lea (2 August 2019). "Sandrine Kiberlain : comment elle a vécu le cap des 50 ans". Gala (in French). Retrieved 17 June 2022.
- ^ Balle, Catherine (21 July 2020). "Sandrine Kiberlain réalise son premier film". Le Parisien (in French). Retrieved 17 June 2022.
- ^ "Portrait d'une jeune fille qui va bien". valdoise.terredecinema.fr. Retrieved 27 June 2021.
- ^ "Une jeune fille qui va bien A Radiant Girl". Semaine de la Critique. Retrieved 17 June 2022.
- ^ Tartaglione, Nancy (7 June 2021). "Cannes: Critics' Week Unveils 60th Anniversary Lineup – Full List". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 17 June 2022.
- ^ Ciavarini Azzi, Lorenzo (10 July 2021). "Festival de Cannes 2021 : "J'avais une histoire vitale à raconter", explique Sandrine Kiberlain, qui réalise "Une jeune fille qui va bien"". France Info (in French). Retrieved 17 June 2022.
- ^ "Une jeune fille qui va bien". Ad Vitam Distribution (in French). Retrieved 17 June 2022.
- ^ "A Radiant Girl". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved 3 November 2023.
- ^ "A Radiant Girl". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved 3 November 2023.
- ^ "Critiques Presse pour le film Une jeune fille qui va bien". AlloCiné (in French). Retrieved 3 November 2023.
- ^ Romney, Jonathan (9 July 2021). "'A Radiant Girl': Cannes Review". Screen Daily. Retrieved 17 June 2022.
- ^ "Mélanie Thierry sera présidente de la Caméra d'or à Cannes". CNC.fr (in French). 1 July 2021. Retrieved 17 June 2022.
- ^ Jamet, Constance (25 January 2023). "César: La Nuit du 12, En Corps, L'Innocent, en tête des nominations". Le Figaro (in French). Retrieved 27 January 2023.
- ^ "Lumières 2023 : "La Nuit du 12", "Pacifiction", "Saint Omer" et "Les Enfants des autres" en tête des nominations". France Info (in French). 15 December 2022. Retrieved 27 January 2023.
