Spring Blossom
{{Short description|2020 French drama film}}
{{Infobox film
|name = Spring Blossom
|image = Seize_printemps.jpg
|caption = Theatrical film poster
|native_name = {{Infobox name module|fr|Seize printemps}}
|director = Suzanne Lindon
|producer = Caroline Bonmarchand
|writer = Suzanne Lindon
|starring = Suzanne Lindon
Arnaud Valois
|music = Vincent Delerm
|cinematography = Jérémie Attard
|editing = Pascale Chavance
|studio = Avenue B Productions
|distributor = Paname Distribution
|runtime = 73 minutes
|released = {{film date|2020|9|1|Angoulême|ref1={{cite web|url=https://filmfrancophone.fr/fr/programmation/premiers-rendez-vous/seize-printemps|title=Seize printemps|work=Film Francophone d'Angouleme|access-date=10 October 2021}}}}
|country = France
|language = French
}}
Spring Blossom ({{langx|fr|Seize printemps}}) is a 2020 French drama film directed by Suzanne Lindon.{{cite web|last=Goodfellow|first=Melanie|title=Luxbox boards sales on Cannes 2020 selection 'Spring Blossom', releases first image|url=https://www.screendaily.com/news/luxbox-boards-sales-on-cannes-2020-selection-spring-blossom-releases-first-image-exclusive/5150353.article|publisher=Screen International|date=4 June 2020|access-date=10 October 2021}} The film stars Lindon as Suzanne, a teenage girl who is disenchanted with her peer group, and develops a relationship with Raphaël (Arnaud Valois), an older actor she meets outside a theatre.
The film was named as an Official Selection of the 2020 Cannes Film Festival, although it was not able to screen at Cannes due to the cancellation of the festival in light of the COVID-19 pandemic in France.{{cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2020/06/cannes-film-festival-2020-lineup-movies-announcement-livestream-1202950103/|title=Cannes Film Festival Reveals 2020 Lineup: Wes Anderson, Steve McQueen, Kate Winslet & Pixar|last=Wiseman|first=Andreas|work=Deadline Hollywood|date=3 June 2020|access-date=10 October 2021}} It screened at the Angoulême Francophone Film Festival,{{cite web|date=10 July 2020|access-date=10 October 2021|last=Lemercier|first=Fabien|url=https://cineuropa.org/en/newsdetail/390086/|title=Angoulême unveils a tantalising line-up|publisher=Cineuropa}} and at the 2020 Toronto International Film Festival.{{cite web|last=Erbland|first=Kate|url=https://www.indiewire.com/2020/06/tiff-2020-virtual-films-lineup-1234569245/|title=TIFF Unveils 2020 Festival Plan: 'Ammonite', Virtual Screenings, and a Reduced Number of Films|work=IndieWire|date=24 June 2020|access-date=10 October 2021}} It was also screened at the 51st International Film Festival of India in the World panorama section.{{cite news|url=http://www.businessworld.in/article/IFFI-unveils-list-of-films-under-World-Panorama-section/13-01-2021-364952|title=IFFI Unveils List Of Films Under World Panorama Section|date=13 January 2021|via=ANI|newspaper=Business World|access-date=10 October 2021}} It received mixed to positive reviews from critics and audiences.
Cast
- Suzanne Lindon as Suzanne
- Arnaud Valois as Raphaël Frei
- Frédéric Pierrot as Suzanne's father
- Florence Viala as Suzanne's mother
- Rebecca Marder as Marie
- Arthur Giusi as Léonard
- Pauline Rugo as Murielle
- Dominique Besnehard as Gérard Beaumann
Production
The screenplay for Spring Blossom was written by Suzanne Lindon (who is also its director) at the age of 15.{{cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2021/05/spring-blossom-film-review-suzanne-lindon-kimstim-international-critics-line-1234755399/|last=Smith|first=Anna|title=Int'l Critics Line: Anna Smith On Suzanne Lindon's Whimsical Romance 'Spring Blossom'|work=Deadline Hollywood|date=18 May 2021|access-date=10 October 2021}} The director cast herself in the film at the age of 20.{{cite web|url=https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/spring-blossom-san-sebastian-review/5152793.article|last=Ide|first=Wendy|title='Spring Blossom': San Sebastian Review|work=Screen International|date=18 September 2020|access-date=10 October 2021}}
Reception
On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of {{RT data|score}} based on {{RT data|count}} critics, with an average rating of {{RT data|average}}. The site's critical consensus reads, "An enchanting debut for writer-director-star Suzanne Lindon, Spring Blossom captures first love with fittingly delicate beauty."{{cite web|url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/spring_blossom|title=Spring Blossom (2020)|website=Rotten Tomatoes|publisher=Fandango|access-date={{RT data|access date|df=dmy}}}}
Katie Walsh of the Los Angeles Times wrote "Such a confident and self-assured debut would be remarkable for a filmmaker of any age, as Spring Blossom is a finely wrought, sensitively felt and artistically bold work".{{cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2021-05-20/spring-blossom-review-suzanne-lindon|title=Review: Suzanne Lindon makes a remarkably bold debut with coming-of-age film 'Spring Blossom'|last=Walsh|first=Katie|work=Los Angeles Times|date=20 May 2021|access-date=10 October 2021}}
Jake Cole of Slant Magazine praised the director and her debut film for "[painting] a concise and truthful portrait of her protagonist's feelings of estrangement",{{cite magazine|date=17 May 2021|url=https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/review-spring-blossom-is-a-whimsical-portrait-of-a-girls-burgeoning-sexuality/|last=Cole|first=Jake|title=Review: Spring Blossom Is a Whimsical Portrait of a Girl's Burgeoning Sexuality|magazine=Slant Magazine}} while Tim Robey of The Daily Telegraph called it "tender, amiable and sweetly played".{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/0/spring-blossom-review-french-age-gap-romance-less-problematic/|title=Spring Blossom, review: a French age-gap romance that's less problematic than placid|last=Robey|first=Tim|work=The Daily Telegraph|date=22 April 2021|access-date=10 October 2021}}
Jordan Mintzer of The Hollywood Reporter called Spring Blossom as "Provocative and original, if a bit slight".{{cite web|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/spring-blossom-seize-printemps-film-review-tiff-2020-4058014/|last=Mintzer|first=Jordan|title='Spring Blossom' ('Seize Printemps'): Film Review - TIFF 2020|work=The Hollywood Reporter|date=16 September 2020|access-date=10 October 2021}}
According to Steve Rose of The Guardian, "[the film] is a fleeting affair in every sense".{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2021/apr/21/spring-blossom-review-suzanne-lindon|date=21 April 2021|title=Spring Blossom review – a fleeting affair with heart|last=Rose|first=Steve|work=The Guardian|access-date=10 October 2021}}
The international press was also positive in regard to the film's premise and release. Writing for The Indian Express, a daily newspaper in India, Shubhra Gupta said "The connection between [Suzanne Lindon and Arnaud Valois] is tenuous, but tangible: you get the feeling that it may not last too long, as teenage passions are wont to, but it may leave a stamp on both. In spring, things blossom".{{cite news|url=https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/entertainment-others/express-at-tiff-2020-holler-shiva-baby-spring-blossom-6604879/|title=Express@TIFF: Young women propel Holler, Shiva Baby and Spring Blossom|last=Gupta|first=Shubhra|newspaper=The Indian Express|date=29 June 2021|access-date=10 October 2021}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{IMDb title|12444426}}
- {{Metacritic film}}
Category:2020 directorial debut films