Charlotte, a disillusioned teenager living in Savoie, realizes the joys and sorrows of adolescence after becoming enamored with a sophisticated young pianist visiting her town.
This sweet, sad movie about the yearning of an adolescent girl brought acclaim to French starlet Charlotte Gainsbourg.
Thirteen-year-old Charlotte (Charlotte Gainsbourg) bickers with her family, has become an outcast at school, and generally feels that her life lacks all beauty and happiness.
When she accidentally meets a beatific young piano prodigy named Clara (Clara Bauman), Charlotte hopes this girl will become her friend and take her away to a better world--but in order to worm her way into Clara's life, Charlotte lets a creepy sailor (Jean-Philippe Écoffey) into hers.
Director Claude Miller formerly worked with François Truffaut, whose influence can be seen here--L'Effrontée has a light, relaxed tone that allows small, human details to emerge without apparent effort. Gainsbourg gives a winning performance, mostly by letting Charlotte be sullen, difficult, and innocently self-deluding; she feels remarkably real.