This riveting, Cannes-selected #MeToo drama from debut filmmaker Charlène Favier follows the relationship between a teenage ski prodigy and her predatory instructor, played by frequent Dardenne brothers collaborator Jérémie Renier. In a breakthrough role, Noée Abita plays 15-year-old Lyz, a high school student in the French Alps who has been accepted to an elite ski club known for producing some of the country’s top professional athletes. Taking a chance on his new recruit, ex-champion turned coach Fred decides to mold Lyz into his shining star despite her lack of experience. Under his influence, she will have to endure more than the physical and emotional pressure of the training. Will Lyz’s determination help her escape Fred’s exploitative grip?
Director
Charlene Favier
Cast
Noee Abita, Jeremie Renier, Marie Denarnaud, Muriel Combeau
Rating
Year
2021
Country
France, Belgium
Language
French
Main Trailer
Reviews
- "Charlène Favier’s SLALOM is a familiar story of sexual abuse, but one told with such bracing intensity that it snaps across your face like a blast of cold mountain air."
- IndieWire - "It’s a recipe for an emotional journey to match the trajectory of the title, but director Charlène Favier’s script, co-written with Antoine Lacomblez and Marie Talon, is as chilly as the permacold of its surroundings, and punctuated by DOP Yann Maritaud’s serene, snowy tableaux."
- The Irish Times - "In seeking to understand both abuser and abused, SLALOM offers a truly nuanced picture of abuse without sacrificing indictment."
- CineVue
Awards
- Deauville Film Festival
- Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival
Festivals
- Thessaloniki Int'l Film Festival
- Busan Int'l Film Festival
- Singapore Int'l Film Festival
- Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival
- Hong Kong Int'l Film Festival)
- Portland Int'l Film Festival
- Seattle Int'l Film Festival
- Grand Lyon Film Festival
- Angoulême Film Festival
- Zurich Film Festival
- Göteborg Film Festival.
- FilmBath Festival