White Wedding

François teaches philosophy at a lycée. He is married and has an orderly life. One student catches his attention: Mathilde does not come to class, says nothing when she does, and gets very high marks. François takes an interest. She has next to no family; she lives alone and there are hard things in her past. A relationship begins. François tells nobody and his wife does not know. What Mathilde expects is more than he can give. When the relationship ends the girl does not let go. Jean-Claude Brisseau writes and directs. Bruno Cremer plays François and Vanessa Paradis plays Mathilde; Ludmila Mikaël is in the cast. It is a French production. Vanessa Paradis was known as a singer at the time; this was her first film and she won the César for most promising actress for it. The film reached a wide audience in France and was argued over for its subject. The matter it treats is a difference of power; the relation between teacher and student is not equal and the film does not hide it. The narrative does not defend the teacher; at one point the man uses his position and does not carry the consequences. Its second half proceeds entirely from the girl's side and the register hardens. Brisseau worked on similar themes afterwards, and cases brought against him in later years changed how his films are read. Its limit is viewpoint; the narrative's approach to the young woman may be found uncomfortable today. Who it is for: viewers who like French drama and hard relationship narratives. Who it is not for: the subject is contested, the register heavy, and the ending bitter.