Love Like Poison
Tender coming-of-age film starring Clara Augarde, Michel Galabru and Lio
(15) 85min
You’d be hard pushed to find a more honest and tender portrayal of early adolescence than first time director Katell Quillévéré’s coming of age film Love Like Poison.
Anna (Clara Augarde) has come home from boarding school for the holidays to find that her home life, in a small town in Brittany, has been turned on its head. Her parents have separated, her father is absent and her unhappy mother (played by 80s French pop icon Lio) is searching for solace in the company of the local priest. Anna spends her time keeping her elderly grandfather (Michel Galabru) company, as she struggles to clarify her thoughts on her upcoming Confirmation and the advances of a local choirboy.
Quillévéré approaches her subject matter with great sensitivity, subtly juxtaposing Anna’s emerging self-awareness, the questioning of her Catholic faith and her complicated family relationships. It’s a confident depiction of the conflicting emotions of a young teenager, and one that never shies away from showing its more confusing and uncomfortable side. But what really makes the film a success is Augarde’s captivating performance, a natural screen presence; she perfectly embodies a mix of awkwardness, vulnerability and spirit.
Filmhouse, Edinburgh and selected release from Fri 13 May.