La Gradiva Wins Cannes Critics’ Week, Explores Teens
SkimNews Take
While the film's Pompeii setting grounds its narrative in historical ruin, the story implicitly leverages the site's preserved past to amplify the transient, formative nature of its characters' youth.
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- La Gradiva won the Cannes Critics’ Week award, marking Marine Atlan’s feature‑film directorial debut.
- Marine Atlan directed the film and co‑wrote it with Anne Brouillet, launching her first feature‑length project.
- Naples serves as the backdrop for the class trip, where the teens visit Pompeii and confront their inner tensions.
- Wilhelm Jensen’s 1902 novel “Gradiva” inspired the film’s title, echoing Freud’s psychological reading of the work.
- Toni (Colas Quignard) and his friends James (Mitia Capellier‑Audat), Angela (Hadya Fofana), and Suzanne (Suzanne Gerin) are depicted as fully realized teens, avoiding typical high‑school tropes.
Why it matters: Marine Atlan and co‑writer Anne Brouillet gain industry credibility and distribution prospects, while Cannes reinforces its reputation for championing bold, introspective cinema amid a contentious festival season.
