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Water Lilies

EMAILPRINTKoch-Lorber Films

Water Lilies reviews
65
8.0 User Score:

Generally favorable reviews

Based on 12 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?

Based on 5 votes
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Movie Info

Genre(s): Drama

Written by: Celine Sciamma

Directed by: Celine Sciamma

Release Date:
Theatrical: April 4, 2008
DVD: September 2, 2008

Running Time: 85 minutes, Color

Origin: France

Language(s): French

Summary

RATING: Not Rated

Starring Pauline Acquart, Louise Blachere, Adele Haenel, and Warren Jacquin

It's summer, and the girls' winning synchronized swimming team is in full swing at the vast municipal swimming pool and social hub in the Paris suburb of Cergy. It's here that Floriane, a shapely blonde with come-hither looks, is a valued performer and star of the social set. Although Marie isn't on the team, is small for her age, and is flat-chested, she becomes Floriane's confidante and cover for the budding siren's assignations, often at the expense of Marie's best friend, Anne. The aching doubts and offhanded cruelty of 15- and 16-year-old girls is on full display in this rich coming-of-age tale. (Koch Lorber Films)

What The Critics Said

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

75

TV Guide Maitland McDonagh

Though the material is familiar, Sciamma has a light touch and avoids many teen-movie cliches.

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75

San Francisco Chronicle Mick LaSalle

Everything in Water Lilies is more guarded, more complex and far more interesting than it seems.

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70

Washington Post Michael O'Sullivan

It's a world where every emotion feels like the earth moving, and where the shifting tectonics of young lust and friendship, along with the lifelong lessons of a broken heart, have never felt more real.

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70

Salon.com Andrew O'Hehir

Dismissed in some quarters as trash because it depicts a sexual act (of sorts) between two teenage girls, Water Lilies struck me instead as a hypnotic and wholly convincing look at teen culture from the inside, with all its courage, cruelty and unspoken codes of silence intact.

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70

Los Angeles Times Kevin Thomas

The elegant Water Lilies is not about answers but about discovery of self and of others in all its pain and pleasure.

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70

Variety Lisa Nesselson

The painfully spot-on essence of teen angst meets the spirit of Esther Williams in Water Lilies. First film by gifted scripter-helmer Celine Sciamma nails the aching doubts and offhanded cruelty of 15- and 16-year-old girls.

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70

Village Voice Nick Pinkerton

French director Céline Sciamma doesn't quite have the stun of discovery--mortified adolescent sexuality is something of a national specialty, after all--but she inexhaustibly endeavors after the indelible image.

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63

New York Post Lou Lumenick

Though Water Lilies endlessly teases the audience with its sapphic subtext and young female flesh, Sciamma seems most interested in showing how extremely cruel adolescent girls can be to each other.

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63

Boston Globe Wesley Morris

A distant thematic and artistic cousin of Sofia Coppola's "The Virgin Suicides" and Lucrecia Martel's "The Holy Girl."

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60

The New York Times Manohla Dargis

Water Lilies is a nice, watchable, attractive, minor work. What it lacks is a sense of purpose, a commitment not just to its characters but also to its own reason for being.

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60

The Hollywood Reporter Richard James Havis

Although a little too open-ended to be wholly satisfying, Water Lilies is still an excellent directorial debut.

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50

New York Daily News Joe Neumaier

With no adults to add melodrama, the sweet Water Lilies depends on the emotion in its young performers' faces to move forward.

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What Our Users Said

The average user rating for this movie is 8.0 (out of 10) based on 5 User Votes

Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

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