Eric Rohmer's drama, Pauline at the Beach, is a lovely coming-of-age story, set in the background of an interesting love triangle among very flawed and misguided, yet sometimes sympathetic, human beings. What began as simply a self-conscious effort that somewhat attempted to define the world of love and relationship blossomed into an engrossing, compelling, and wonderful French film about the nature of love and relationships.The characters' conversations about love and relationships accentuates the yearning, the disappointments, and the hopefulness that come with the mere notions of romance. Perfected fantasies can be disappointing. People who seemingly embody that sort of fantasy have the abilities to be even more disappointing.
I was genuinely surprised by this engaging character-driven piece, I must say. Rohmer definitely made one helluva impression on me. I can't honestly say that French cinema has ever greatly appealed to me, perhaps with the exception of The 400 Blows, Antoine et Colette (short film), Les Choristes, and probably several more that I can't think of right now. Perhaps it's because I haven't seen enough--that's always the best answer for young cinephiles, I guess.
