Overview
A poignant exploration of young love and friendship unfolds beneath the surface of a swimming pool.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Moderate
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- None
- wistful
- intimate
- provocative
- quiet evening
- arthouse film night
What critics said
Critics broadly praised the film as a sharply observed, formally audacious, and provocative portrait of early adolescent anxiety and desire.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Marie, Anne, and Floriane experience puberty and sexual awakening through distinctly gendered pressures around popularity, desirability, and virginity.
Marie’s near-expressionless demeanor, limited exposition, and carefully observed gestures make emotional uncertainty central to the film’s form.
Marie’s attraction to Floriane develops through lingering proximity, favors, and an ambiguous friendship rather than direct declaration.
The synchronized-swimming pool and locker room organize the girls’ social hierarchy, physical self-consciousness, and first attractions.
Films like Water Lilies, and why
Tomboy
intimate queer coming-of-age drama focused on adolescent desire, friendship, and social uncertainty
Girlhood
French adolescent drama with restrained naturalism, emerging sexuality, and shifting female friendship
The Miseducation of Cameron Post
quiet, psychologically observant coming-of-age film about teenage attraction and emotional confusion
Show Me Love
sensitive queer teen romance shaped by secrecy, longing, and the pressures of youth
Movie Details
- Director
- Céline Sciamma
- Release Date
- 2007-05-17
- Runtime
- 85 min
- Rating
- 6.5 / 10 (483)
Cast
- Pauline Acquart
- Louise Blachère
- Adèle Haenel
- Warren Jacquin
- Christel Baras
- Marie Gili-Pierre
- Alice de Lencquesaing
- Claire Pierrat
- Barbara Renard
- Esther Sironneau
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Criterion Channel
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Water Lilies about?
- Three teenage girls confront desire, jealousy, and the uncertain boundary between friendship and first love in the charged world of synchronized swimming.
- What is Water Lilies like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Water Lilies as measured, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is Water Lilies violent?
- No — Ember's analysis finds no violence in Water Lilies.
- What did critics think of Water Lilies?
- Critics broadly praised the film as a sharply observed, formally audacious, and provocative portrait of early adolescent anxiety and desire.
- Which films are like Water Lilies?
- Films with a similar feel include Tomboy, Girlhood, The Miseducation of Cameron Post, and Show Me Love.
- How long is Water Lilies?
- Water Lilies runs 85 minutes.
- Where can I watch Water Lilies?
- In United States, Water Lilies streams on Criterion Channel.
