Billie (Liliane Skelly, pure incarnation of the romantic and naive teenager), 16, is behind everyone, that is to say, she has never had sex or known true love . Since drowning in the “sky-blue-snowstorm-ballpoint-pen” eyes of champion cyclist Pierre Forêt (Joseph Delorey, a clever mix of arrogance and fragility), she has only dreamed to spend a night in his arms.
While waiting for Prince Charming on a bike, Billie runs on the slush “blue raspberry blue” and writes poems on all surfaces of the water park where she works as a lifeguard. O misfortune! Annette (Camille Felton), his perfect older sister, freshly dumped by the water park manager, Émile (Jacob Whiteduck-Lavoie), is also in love with Pierre.
Long confined to teenage roles, Mariloup Wolfe (Jouliks) seemed destined to dive into the world of Sarah-Maude Beauchesne (At the lake of love). Don’t worry, his adaptation of the first novel by the author of Forks Has nothing to do with On your marks…party! by Frédérik D’Amours, to which she makes a funny nod. Fact, slush heart, his fourth feature film, proves to be completely faithful to the essence of the novel. Even better, the film has a few surprises in store for those who know the book by heart.
In fact, Sarah-Maude Beauchesne, who is taking her first steps as a screenwriter here, has focused on the rivalry between Billie and her older sister, which already appeared implicitly in the story narrated in the first person: “Between sisters, it’s is complicated and it’s not at the same time, it’s mad love and envy, it’s mad love and sweet jealousy. »
In addition to setting the action in the heart of summer, allowing all the adults to be evacuated, with the exception of Annette and Billie’s touching dad, played by the irresistible François Létourneau, the author was thus able to spice up the romantic rantings of her candid heroine. And bring back to the fore Rosine (Salma Serraji), not crazy about sex, and Juliette (Vivi-Anne Riel), who has a crush on Annette and takes advantage of every opportunity to denounce the patriarchy.
Billie followed the summer
For her part, Mariloup Wolfe was able to take advantage of the various structures offered by the aquatic park, becoming by day the theater of laughter and chatter between friends and by night the cozy refuge for the teenager with a broken heart. As for the poetic passages of the novel, the director has composed pretty aquatic paintings, which reflect the moods and daydreams of the young girl. Between the scenes where the languor of summer and suspended time are felt, these moments appear like bubbles of freshness. Note the daring dreamlike painting illustrating Billie’s first period. And wham for whom menstruation is still a taboo!
Cradled by the timeless charm of the songs of Pierre Lalonde (It’s vacation time), Turtles (HappyTogetheron which we are entitled to a charming bike ride) and Joe Dassin (And if you did not existfavorite song of Pierre’s parents),slush heart is not a sweet candy with tangy colors that teenagers are stuffed with. Like the original novel, published by Hurtubise in 2014, it approaches sexuality with finesse, humor and in an uninhibited way. In the same way, it deals with the notion of consent, identity and sexual orientation, as well as the symbolic weight of virginity.
Directing his young actors with a masterful hand, Mariloup Wolfe can pride himself on having staged a delicate moment in the life of a young girl where modesty, awkwardness and desire follow one another with confusing naturalness. Just for this scene of beautiful accuracy, shot with the complicity of the coach of intimacy Roxane Néron, slush heart should be seen by all teenagers — and parents of teenagers — for having demonstrated that, during the first time, you don’t go to the movies.