Review of Water Lilies (2007) by Jay K — 02 Nov 2011

Water Lilies - or Birth of the Octopuses in it's superior original title - is the debut film of writer-director Céline Sciamma. Telling the story of three teenage girls in a Paris suburb, it's a stripped-down (literally at times) exploration of adolescent sexuality and the pain of growing up.

It's well shot, touches on true beauty at times and successful conveys a sense of never-ending ennui at others. By and large the young cast are natural and convincing, but whilst Sciamma clearly knows her characters and has created a very realistic coming-of-age snapshot, there remains a strange emptiness to the story, interrupted only occasionally by moments of insight.