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Cold Showers

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Wikipedia article




'Cold Showers' is a 2005 French drama film directed by Antony Cordier. It was a Directors' Fortnight Selection at 2005 Cannes Film Festival. The film tells the story of three teenagers, a girl, Vanessa, and two boys, Mickael and Clement, who face changes and problems over a period of three months as they enter adulthood. The film attracted controversy on its release due to the full-frontal nudity of several young French actors.

Plot



Mickal (Johan Libereau) is from a poor working class family - his father Grard (Jean-Philippe Ecoffey) is a taxi cab driver who lost his license and then his job as a result of a police roadblock targeting drivers under the influence of alcohol. His mother Annie (Florence Thomassin) works as a cleaning woman in the high school gym: After this they have a tough time financially. Not a great student, Mickal excels in judo and his life is focused on his sport and on his judo coach and girlfriend Vanessa (Salom Stvenin). One of Mickal's teammates Clment (Pierre Perrier) is from a wealthy family: his father Louis Steiner (Aurlien Recoing) uses a wheelchair and his mother Mathilde (Claire Nebout) is a woman of the world and society. Louis decides to sponsor the judo team, buys them outfits, and asks Mickal to work with Clment to perfect his technique and prepare the judo team for a French championship.

Mickal and Clment relate well and while Mickal is a winning player, Clment is smarter and understands the intrinsic rules of the game better. An incident occurs that forces Mickal to take the position of a wounded team mate and in doing so he must lose eight kilos to qualify for the championship team. The struggle to lose weight (he is already in ideal physical condition) places stress on both Mickal and his family and teammates. Mickal and Vanessa include Clment in their camaraderie, a situation which evolves into a mnage trois as the three have group sex in the after hours gym. Vanessa reacts as though this is the greatest physical feeling ever, Clment is smitten, and Mickal has troubling doubts. When the three decide to try it again in a hotel room Mickal is so conflicted that he does not join the other two, only listening to their cavorting in the bathtub feeling inferior to the smarter, wealthier Clment. But on the judo side, the team plays the championship and Mickal's delicate sense of self worth is restored for a moment. It is the manner in which the trio of teenagers resolve their antics that closes the film.

Cast



* Johan Libreau as Mickael

* Salom Stvenin as Vanessa

* Pierre Perrier as Clment

* Florence Thomassin as Annie

* Jean-Philippe Ecoffey as Grard

* Aurlien Recoing as Louis Steiner

* Claire Nebout as Mathilde Steiner

* Julie Boulanger as Valentine

* Steve Tran as Tranh

* Denis Falgoux as The coach

* Magali Woch as Mickael's sister

* Camille Japy as Coach's wife

* Dominique Cabrera as The nurse

* Sarah Pratt as the examiner

Soundtrack



The soundtrack for this film contains songs by Julie Delpy and Galt MacDermot. The score is composed by Nicolas Lemercier. The main song of the film is called "Central Park".

Awards and nominations



'Csar Awards'

* Nominated:

** Best First Film

'Prix Louis Delluc'

* 'Won'

** Best First Film

'Taipei International Film Festival'

* 'Won':

** Grand Prize

'Verona International Film Festival'

* 'Won':

** Grand Prize

'Marseille Film Festival'

* 'Won':

** Critic Prize

'French Press Golden Star'

* 'Won':

** Best First Film

'French Syndicate of Cinema Critics'

* 'Won':

** Best Promising Actor - Johan Libreau

'Moulins Film Festival'

* 'Won':

** Best Actress - Florence Thomassin

'La Ciotat Film Festival'

* 'Won':

** Best Actress - Salom Stvenin

References




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