Young & Beautiful
A French teenager's secret experiment with sexual independence collides with family life, adult power, and the consequences of being discovered.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Moderate
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Mild
- melancholic
- sober
- intimate
- quiet evening
- art house film night
What critics said
Critics broadly praised Marine Vacth's poised lead performance and François Ozon's elegant, restrained handling of provocative adolescent sexuality, while finding the thematic exploration somewhat incomplete.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Isabelle moves from a first sexual experience with Felix into a secret life as a call girl, using the encounters to explore control, curiosity, and self-presentation.
The film presents Isabelle's sexual experimentation and its consequences with subdued dramatic intensity and psychological distance.
Isabelle's hidden identity as Lea is revealed when police investigate Georges's death and disclose her activities to Sylvie.
Isabelle's middle-class family life contrasts with her clandestine meetings with older clients, creating tension between respectability and hidden desire.
Films like Young & Beautiful, and why
Blue Is the Warmest Color
shares an intimate, psychologically observant examination of adolescent sexuality, family tension, and emotional ambiguity in contemporary France
The Piano Teacher
shares erotic coming-of-age themes, provocative subject matter, and a restrained European art-house style
The Diary of a Teenage Girl
shares a young woman's sexual self-discovery, social transgression, and melancholic French atmosphere
Movie Details
- Director
- François Ozon
- Release Date
- 2013-08-21
- Runtime
- 95 min
- Rating
- 6.5 / 10 (1355)
Cast
- Marine Vacth
- Géraldine Pailhas
- Charlotte Rampling
- Frédéric Pierrot
- Nathalie Richard
- Johan Leysen
- Fantin Ravat
- Laurent Delbecque
- Djédjé Apali
- Lucas Prisor
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Philo, AMC Plus Apple TV channel, AMC+ Amazon Channel, AMC+ Roku Premium Channel, AMC+, Sundance Now
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Young & Beautiful about?
- A French teenager's secret experiment with sexual independence collides with family life, adult power, and the consequences of being discovered.
- What is Young & Beautiful like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Young & Beautiful as measured, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Young & Beautiful violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in Young & Beautiful as mild.
- What did critics think of Young & Beautiful?
- Critics broadly praised Marine Vacth's poised lead performance and François Ozon's elegant, restrained handling of provocative adolescent sexuality, while finding the thematic exploration somewhat incomplete.
- Which films are like Young & Beautiful?
- Films with a similar feel include Blue Is the Warmest Color, The Piano Teacher, and The Diary of a Teenage Girl.
- How long is Young & Beautiful?
- Young & Beautiful runs 95 minutes.
- Where can I watch Young & Beautiful?
- In United States, Young & Beautiful streams on Philo, AMC Plus Apple TV channel, AMC+ Amazon Channel, AMC+ Roku Premium Channel, AMC+, Sundance Now.
