In 2015, Eva Husson made her feature film debut in France with “”Bang Gang (A Modern Love Story),” which is a French drama. The movie is located in the beautiful seaside town of Biarritz and the story revolves around a group of rich teenagers during their idle summer and examines the concepts of self-discovery, romance in the era of technology, and reckless behavior.
Plot Overview
The storyline follows George (Marilyn Lima), an outgoing and daring teenager, Eddie (Michele Riondino), and her best friend Laetitia (Daisy Broom). Everyday life with mundane activities bores the duo, which prompts them to assume a romantic relationship with Alex (Finnegan Oldfield) who, while his mother is out of the house, turns his home to a party place that he calls “Bang Gang.” All of his friends and peers, starting with an introverted Gabriel (Lorenzo Lefebvre), his daydreaming George crush, are drawn to his parties, but few are brave enough to join. Many are reserved like Gabriel and wait from the sidelines.
As the parties start happening more regularly, the kids capture their moments in photos and videos which they share on offline social media accounts. This form of exposure has unexpected repercussions such as the leakage of private material and eventual public scrutiny and personal consequences. The film ends with the characters facing the consequences of their steps and reflecting on their actions which creates opportunities for self development as well as changes to their social connections.
Topics and Interpretation
The movie by Husson reflects on the focus of proliferation of the internet and social media on children. It probes into the temptations of defiance in pursuit of social approval and how these two aspects could exist simultaneously through the medium of ‘social’ technology. It also highlights the gap between reckless behavior associated with adolescence and the certainty of being held responsible which as a modern society is a phrase that signifies the death of an era of innocence and the intricacies of growing up.
Cinematic Approach
“Bang Gang” is striking with its breathtaking photos of Biarritz captured under the sun as “dreamy” and ”arcadian” cinematography perfectly matches Husson’s slow camera work accompanied by steady backward motion, revealing to the audience the world of the characters. The audience is immersed into the scenes with the use of additional natural light and, to show the teen reality of the film, close edges shots. The text is put to the narrative with accompanying sounds at critical emotions moments of the film to set the mood.
Critical reception
The movie was reviewed as a mixed bag. Critics highlighted what seemed to be the obvious strengths of Husson’s direction and the performances of the younger cast, including Lima’s portrayal of George. Some reviewers, however, argued that the narrative had little substance on character engagement. As Christy Lemire of RogerEbert.com puts it, “The film has the restless rhythms of adolescence, but finally… ends up feeling like a melancholy glimmer.
Conclusion
“Bang Gang (A Modern Love Story)” is a reflective commentary on the nature of being a curious teenager trying to find one’s self in the midst of an ever evolving society. In the depiction of the intermingling notions of freedom and responsibility possessed by a group of teenagers, the film provides a thoughtful critique of contemporary youth culture and the consequences of decisions made in adolescence.
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