Cold Showers
Douches Froides
Director: Anthony CORDIER
This emotionally complex and compelling coming-of-age story (one of the highlights from the Director’s Fortnight sidebar at Cannes in 2005) is breathtaking in its erotic power. The title of the film could just as easily serve as a post-screening suggestion to audiences as well as a guiding metaphor for its three characters!
Mickael (Johan Libéreau) is a working class, seventeen-year old judo star, who’s busy juggling sports, school, an alcoholic father and a neurotic mother. He has a pretty girlfriend Vanessa (Salomé Stévenin), whom he’s known all his life.As their relationship becomes increasingly sexual, the two find their way into a threesome involving Clément (Pierre Perrier), Mickael’s wealthy judo sparring partner. It’s an intimate encounter that leads to a life-changing experience for all.
While the cast is uniformly excellent - and casually uninhibited in unexpected ways - this is first time feature director Antony Cordier’s triumph. The film’s revelations are deeply felt and its erotic moments never feel exploitative or needlessly graphic; rather, their troubling honesty (with echoes of Andre Techine’s glorious The Wild Reeds) is what lingers the most.
France 2005 - Drama (102 mins)In French with English Subtitles
Director: Anthony Cordier Script: Anthony CordierCast: Johan Libéreau, Salomé Stevenin, Florence Thomassin