LA LYCÉEN

2022 / 124 min / color

The latest film by acclaimed French director Christophe Honoré is inspired by his personal coming of age story — it examines family dynamics in the wake of a sudden tragedy that changes the life of his young protagonist forever. Lucas (French rising star Paul Kircher, who won the Silver Shell at San Sebastian IFF for this performance) is about to spend his last year at a boarding school and can’t wait to move to Paris where he can finally step into being himself: a young, attractive gay man. His older brother Quentin (Vincent Lacoste) already lives there. Their father’s sudden death changes everything: their mother (Juliette Binoche, wonderful as always) has no idea how to cope with the situation, and grief-stricken Lucas is caught between provincial life and the big city he experiences when he visits Quentin. He attempts to explore his sexuality while trying to understand what the tragic loss of his father means to him. Honoré, who appears on screen briefly as Lucas’ father, not only shows the ups and downs of queer adolescence, but also creates a portrait of a young character trying to establish his identity while processing the death of a parent. The director paints the landscape of teenage angst and inability to express pain with empathy and sensitivity.

• San Sebastián IFF – Silver Seashell for Best Leading Performance (Paul Kircher)