Synopsis
An outer suburb of Paris, 1972. Gilles and Christine, both sixteen, are classmates and lovers who have become frustrated with the aloofness of their families and the general monotony of their lives. When the pair are caught shoplifting, Christine's father ships her off to a home for emotionally disturbed children, temporarily putting space between her and Gilles. Luckily for them, though, she escapes and the couple contemplate running away together.
Your Movie Library
Cast
- Virginie LedoyenChristine
- Cyprien FouquetGilles
- László SzabóLe père de Gilles
- Jean-Pierre DarroussinL'inspecteur
- Dominique FaysseLa mère de Christine
- Jackie BerroyerLe père de Christine
- Smaïl MekkiMourad
- Jean-Christophe BouvetLe professeur
- Ilona GyöriMarie
- Renée AmzallagL'infirmière
Recommendations
- 100
New York Magazine (Vulture)
Cold Water has the kind of emotional purity that puts it in a class by itself. Its blue fog envelops you. - 90
The New York Times
Mr. Assayas succeeded in making a young person’s film when he was on the cusp of turning 40. He has said that he wanted Cold Water to feel like a movie from 1972. It doesn’t really, but, perhaps more remarkably, it’s so fresh it could have been made now. - 90
Los Angeles Times
Drawn from the director's personal memories of post-1968 excitement and disillusionment, the drama moves from surging emotional highs to melancholy lows, but it also pulses with a vibrant, moody energy that a 24-year delay from American screens has done nothing to diminish. - 88
Chicago Tribune
As Assayas himself has pointed out, the passing years have magically transformed a movie made in 1994 into a seeming product of post-1968 cultural turbulence and unresolved matters of the heart. It feels honest, in other words. - 80
The New York Times
Mr. Assayas's screenplay is loose and uneventful, but his direction has more energy. - 80
CineVue
Equal parts arthouse cinema and coming-of-age drama, the influence of his tribute to teen rebellion remains deeply felt.
