An Easy Girl (2019)

Director: Rebecca Zlotowski
Stars: Mina Farid, Zahia Dehar, Benoît Magimel
Runtime: 92 minutes

Synopsis: Naima is 16 and lives in Cannes. She has given herself the summer to choose what she wants to do with her life. Then her cousin Sofia, with her alluring lifestyle, arrives to spend the holidays with her.

Performances: 8/10
Screenplay: 7/10
Editing: 7/10
Cinematography: 7/10
Score/Soundtrack: 6/10

Verdict: Being 16 is tricky, and Naima won't tell you otherwise. The pressures of choosing a career path start to take a toll on high schoolers at that age as they start to realize that adulthood is knocking at their door. She's no different, and, like most of her peers, she's still confused as to what the future holds for her.

That is until she receives an unexpected visit from her 22-year-old cousin Sofia whose mother recently passed away. Sofia's motto is "Carpe Diem", which translates to "Seize the Day" (if you've seen "Dead Poets Society", you should know that), and it couldn't be more accurate considering how free-spirited she is. Naima sees her as an inspiration, someone who only depends on herself to get what she wants. But that starts to change when they meet a couple of art collectors who take interest in the pair...

"An Easy Girl", or "Une Fille Facile" in its original French language, is a mature coming-of-age story that was quite the pleasant surprise. Set on the backdrop of a beautifully captured Mediterranean mood, it very much succeeded in presenting an interesting character whose struggles are clearly developed. We all were 16 once, dealing with the exact same issues she did, and seeing her mature over the course of an eventful summer felt weirdly rewarding. The acting was convincing, the atmosphere well built, but I do wish that the same attention was given to the supporting characters who did come across as props to the main character's blooming in the overall narrative. I also could've done without the final 5 minutes of the film that I thought were unjustifiably inserted right after what could've been a very fitting closing shot.

I can see the film being compared to "Call Me by Your Name", and, while the latter is clearly superior in every way, I'd consider the comparison to be apt and at the vert least deserved. Director Rebecca Zlotowski genuinely crafted a little gem that I hope doesn't go unnoticed. "An Easy Girl" is available on Netflix if anyone wants to give it a shot.

FINAL GRADE: 7/10