Water Lilies
(2007)
Céline Sciamma • 85 min • France
Location: AVL Mundo
Doors open from 20:00, film starts at 21:45
Regular ticket € 9,50
Discount with Rotterdampas, Cineville € 4,75
Discount with CJP € 7,50
Bring your e-ticket / printed ticket
If you bought a ticket with discount show your discount card at the entrance
No refunds, we offer substituted screenings if we are forced to cancel the screening
Sensual wet moving legs in the water, teenage eyeliner make-up, and damp dressing rooms: with Water Lillies, Céline Sciamma’s gives us a stylish and provocative drama set in the world of girls’ synchronized swimming. In this humid universe in the Paris suburbs, temperatures rise when introvert Marie spots Floriane, the queen bee of the local swimming team. Soon sexual desires are being discovered, mixed messages are sent and feelings are getting hurt as a real first love does.
As we experienced in her latest work, Sciamma (Portrait of a Lady on Fire, Girlhood) truly understands the art of looking. Through Marie’s eyes, we engage in her teenage gay crush on the beautiful Floriane – complete with the chloride-smelling hair, longing glances in the dressing rooms, and sultry summer days. Despite the many intimate scenes with the young cast, the camera’s gaze never feels invasive, due to its sincere and respectful approach.
Debut film Water Lilies was directed and written by the then 27-year old Sciamma at La Fémis. Filmed in the director’s hometown, it builds on a childhood memory. When she was 15, Sciamma attended a synchronized swimming exhibition in the very same school the film was shot in. Completely moved by the prettiness of the female swimmers on the surface, she saw the chaos and the struggle to fight the water underneath. “Synchronized swimming is about pretending, about hiding the pain to look gracious to the outside world. I thought it was a beautiful starting point for this story.”
English subtitles
