Near Orouët

New 4K Restoration

In early September three young Parisians – Caroline (Caroline Cartier), her cousin Kareen (Françoise Guégan), and Joëlle (Danièle Croisy) – travel to the sparsely populated oceanside town of Orouët for a carefree holiday. At Caroline’s mother’s house they soon take in Gilbert (Bernard Ménez), Joëlle’s boss, and romantic complications inevitably ensue: ever the schlemiel, Gilbert suffers subtle humiliations at the hands of the women in order to remain close to Joëlle, his crush, while Joëlle develops feelings for Patrick (Patrick Verde), a handsome, sporty neighbor who flirts with Kareen. Rozier constructs his love triangle (or square) without an ounce of melodrama, focusing as much on the vacation’s languorous atmosphere – and its giddy effect on the friends’ inside jokes and childish slapstick – as the slow-burn plot. Perfectly capturing both the liberating promise and melancholic effervescence of summer, Du côté d’Orouët is a minor masterpiece of the post-New Wave era and a beautiful meditation on the fleetingness of youth, love, and time.