Graduate First

Not a strong film by Pialat. I have seen a couple of great ones from him, but this one is just too disjointed, with too many characters demanding our attention to work well. Working class life, with its uncertainties and narrower horizons, was a specialty with Pialat. His treatment of Loulou's family a year later would be masterful, but these teenagers waiting to write the ''bac'' don't have enough individuality to interest me. They go on a trip to the seashore that looks promising but not much happens.

Philippe Marlaud and Sabine Haudepin play the principals and they are good (pity that Marlaud died at 22). There is a story line involving a married girl and the boy she really loves that is more interesting. The feeling of regret over lost opportunities is strong.