A young girl’s confirmation provides the staging ground for issues of faith and sexuality in Katell Quillévéré’s assured debut feature. Young Anna lives in the Breton countryside with her devout mother and three grandparents, one of whom is bedridden. These adults, along with her nonreligious father and the parish priest, offer new and often-conflicting world views and words of advice to the confused teenager. Her burgeoning relationship with a neighborhood boy unveils additional unexplored territory. Compactly and fluidly shifting between these various characters as Anna pinballs uneasily among them, the film demonstrates the challenges of life at all ages, particularly heightened in adolescence. Augmented by a haunting score and lush outdoor locations, Love Like Poison attains a rapturous tone that makes it one of the more remarkable coming-of-age tales of recent years. Great performances abound, including newcomer Clara Augarde as Anna and esteemed comic actor Michel Galabru as her earthy grandfather.


Written by Mariette Désert, Katell Quillévéré. Photographed by Tom Harari. With Clara Augarde, Lio, Michel Galabru, Stefano Cassetti, Thierry Neuvic (92 min, Films Distribution).