Youth (Jeunesse)

Year: 2012
Country: FRANCE
Run Time: 75 minutes

Just when Justine Malle was transitioning from a young girl to a woman, she found out her famous filmmaker father Louis was terminally ill. At 20 she was terribly awkward and unsure of herself, madly in love with a boy who didn't quite feel the same, and to top it off, still a virgin. The state of constant confusion her mind and body were experiencing made it hard to comprehend her dad's unfortunate fate. As her father begins to let go of his life, Justine begins to make sense of her own. As his door begins to close, hers is blown wide open. It's a silver lining in a very dark and difficult time. Although the story is only semi-autobiographical, there's enough reality to make you feel the complicated mix of devastation and excitement she was wrestling with. It's a creative and moving way of giving her father a proper goodbye. YOUTH may be centered around death, but it's actually more about finding life in the midst of it. (In French with subtitles) – E.F.

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