French Lesson Reviews

A moderately charming coming-of-age tale about a young British girl, Snowden, who takes classes at the Sorbonne and boards with a family in the French countryside. Somewhat shy and interested more in reading D.H. Lawrence than in dancing, Snowden resists the temptations of casual sex, hoping instead to find the right boy with whom to savor her sexual intitiation. She meets a charming and romantic Norwegian (Wilk) but is more interested in Sterling, a handsome young man who speaks halting English with a heavy French accent. She is charmed but torn between her desire to give herself to him and her apprehension that he may not be the right one. FRENCH LESSON tries hard. The script takes a likable young girl, situates her in Paris, surrounds her with romantic images, and then introduces her to two attractive boys. The film takes a downward turn, however, when she makes her decision. For some inexplicable reason FRENCH LESSON takes place in 1961, although the film has the look and feel of present-day France. No reference is made to the 1960s, and the sexual attitudes seem no different from those of today, leading one to wonder what the point is.