The Girl With a Bracelet (La Fille au Bracelet)

Posted by ruthmedia on June 30, 2020 in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

The Girl With a Bracelet

Director: Stephane Demoustier

Runtime: 93 minutes

Cast: Melissa Guers, Chiara Mastroianni, Anais Demoustier, Roschdy Zem, Melissa Guers, Anaïs Demoustier, Annie Mercier, Pascal Garbarini, Carlo Ferrante, Anne Paulicevich, Victoria Jadot, Mikaël Halimi, Léo Moreau

SYNOPSIS: When 16-year-old Lise is accused of murdering her best friend, the impending case tests the loyalty of her family and those around her. However, once the trial starts, her secret life begins to unfold and the plot thickens, calling into question how well we really know the ones we love. What follows is a gripping courtroom procedural that forensically probes the anatomy of a trial, posing questions about how society judges young women inside and outside the courtroom.

URL: https://youtu.be/UpQIhzFZc2g

This third feature by writer-director Stéphane Demoustier [Cléo & Paul (2018), 40-Love (2014)] begins with an ordinary family outing to the beach. Things turn dark as 16-year-old Lise (Melissa Guers) from a wealthy middle-class family, comes under investigation following the death of her best friend. As her parents (Chiara Mastroianni, Roschdy Zem) deal with the trauma in different ways, Lise is required to account for a way of life that doesn’t always fit the morality approved of by the justice system.

Adapted from Argentinian filmmaker Gonzalo Tobal’s 2018 film Acusada (The Accused), this pointed judicial drama has echoes of Camus, Simenon and Henri-Georges Clouzot. A superb ensemble cast includes Anaïs Demoustier, on top form as a relentless prosecuting counsel. And as Lise, newcomer Melissa Guers offers a mesmerising performance as the mysterious and enigmatic young woman whose very being is caught in the spotlight of a murder case.

The Girl with A Bracelet is a powerful drama that combines the complexities of a coming-of-age story with an incisive drama asking some truly pertinent questions about believability and judgement.

Streaming on Curzon Home Cinema

Images courtesy of CURZON ARTIFICIAL EYE