Skip to main content

Slalom (2020)


Slalom is a Franco-Belgian drama film directed by Charlène Favier, released in 2020. This is the director's first feature-length fiction film.

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?

Freddy and Krasnaya Movie Review
***SPOILER ALERT***

K: Slalom, to me, is a really good drama. We see a coach and his 15-year-old student trying to achieve their goals under some unresolved psychological problems. Lyz (NoΓ©e Abita) is a lonely girl, her parents are divorced and she manages to get into an elite slalom school. She adores skiing and through it, tries to get her parents attention by showing that she's worth something. She finds this needed attention in her coach, Fred (JΓ©rΓ©mie Renier) who sees her potential.

F: I know who would love this movie if he was alive. Jeffrey Epstein πŸ˜‚. At least some of his island buddies can still enjoy it. Yes, pedophilia. This movie is able to show in a very intelligent manner the innocence of being 15. Even if you look and act like an adult, you are still very much a child. The movie feels a little claustrophobic because of all the snow, it seems like we never change location. I felt trapped, so maybe there was an intention from the director to make you feel like that. I enjoyed the movie and the actors did great. Every dialogue and action felt realistic.

Slalom Ski Scene 2020
This is a cool scene.
K: The scene where Fred explains Lyz that menstruation is a cosmic process and she doesn't have to be ashamed of it, shows how distant Lyz was from her mother. When Lyz finally won her first championship, it seemed to me that Fred was taken back and felt he had that pedestal, the one he never had due to his injury. So, he gets so excited that he crosses the limits with Lyz. So slowly from the triumph they fell down into the misery of shame, abuse and total confusion. That confusion disappears when Lyz's mother finally says she's sorry for being such a bad mother.

F: The first time our main character, Lyz, was abused I had to laugh. It was so strange, so out of nowhere and primitive. Even though it looked stupid, it made sense and I can imagine a sexual deviant acting exactly like that.
It's a serious matter and totally disgusting in real life, but I found the scene very funny. You win the cup and your coach gets horny for a little handjob.πŸ˜‚
The second time Lyz got abused it wasn't so funny and made me feel uncomfortable. Especially those moments after the rape. 
That's how you fuck up someone for the rest of their life. I wanted to see pervy-pedo Freddy being arrested but the movie had made its point.

Dude tongue kissing car windows
That kid has some sweet moves!
F: I enjoyed the ski parts very much. They looked very cool with the music. There was also a reference to Little Red Riding Hood that I thought was cute.
It's not a long movie and it shows in very simple terms how an abusive pedophile relationship can go, and how people can be tricked by themselves to not do anything to stop it. This is the case of Fred's partner, for example.
The message for me is that the world is filled with perverts, unfortunately, and if you have kids, you should be around to help them grow up.

K: I loved the storytelling of the movie, the picture is incredible (oh, I miss the snow so much) and some references too. The movie sucks you into the scenes and you only leave when the closing credits appear on screen with some beautiful music. It was a worthwhile movie that made me think and feel.

Teenage Boobies
These are NOT underage boobies you pervert!
Freddy's Score: 68/100
Krasnaya's Score: 80/100

FINAL SCORE

Q&A WITH DIRECTOR CHARLÈNE FAVIER

Comments

  1. im interested in watching this movie. where can i find it? can i download it here?

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

🎬 Join the CineIt Movie Club!

Get exclusive reviews and recommendations delivered straight to your inbox. Never miss a great movie again!

Popular posts from this blog

La Mante (2017)

Plot Summary: Twenty-five years after being imprisoned, Jeanne Deber, a notorious serial killer known as "The Mantis," offers to help the police catch a copycat killer, but only if she can work with her estranged son, who is now a police officer. Director: Alexandre Laurent Writers: Alice Chegaray-Breugnot, Nicolas Jean, GrΓ©goire Demaison, Laurent Vivier Music: FranΓ§ois Lietout Starring: Carole Bouquet as Jeanne Deber / The Mantis Fred Testot as Damien Carrot Jaques Weber as Charles Carrot Pascal Demolon as Dominique Feracci Manon Azem as Lucie Carrot Serge Riaboukine as Crozet Robinson Stevenin as Alex Crozet FredΓ©rique Bel as Virginie Delorme Jump to the Plot Explained Section   ***SPOILER ALERT*** A Boring, Wannabe Hannibal Lecter This is officially the first TV series review I'm doing here at Cine It. I'm no...

Kpop Demon Hunters (2025)

Plot Summary: Three talented young K-pop trainees discover they have supernatural abilities to battle ancient demons lurking in modern-day Korea. They must balance their demanding training for a much-anticipated debut with their secret mission to protect the world. Directors: Maggie Kang, Chris Appelhans Screenplay: Danya Jimenez, Hannah McMechan, Maggie Kang, Chris Appelhans Producer: Michelle Wong Music: Marcelo Zarvos Starring: Arden Cho as Rumi May Hong as Mira Ji-young Yoo as Zoey Ahn Hyo-seop as Jinu Yunjin Kim as Celine Ken Jeong as Bobby Lee Byung-hun as Gwi-Ma   ***SPOILER ALERT*** Peer Pressure & Pleasant Surprises My daughter came home from school the other day looking like she'd been left out of the cool kids' club because she was the only one who hadn't seen Kpop Demon Hunters. I knew right then my Satur...

Shaolin Soccer (2001)

Plot Summary: A former Shaolin monk reunites his scattered brothers to form a soccer team, combining their extraordinary martial arts skills with the sport to compete for a major tournament and restore the dignity and reputation of Shaolin kung fu in the modern world. Director: Stephen Chow Writers: Stephen Chow, Tsang Kan-cheung Producer: Yeung Kwok-Fai Cinematography: Kwen Pak-Huen, Kwong Ting-wo Editor: Kai Kit-Wai Music: Lowell Lo, Raymond Wong Starring: Stephen Chow as Mighty Steel Leg Sing Zhao Wei as Mui Ng Man-tat as Golden Leg Fung Patrick Tse as Hung Wong Yat-fei as Iron Head Tin Kai-man as Iron Shirt Danny Chan as Empty Hand   ***SPOILER ALERT*** A Disconnect Gone Wrong The world seems to be going completely insane. Between the Charlie Kirk assassination and the subsequent censoring of p...

Kung Fu Hustle (2004)

Plot Summary: In 1940s Shanghai, a wannabe gangster named Sing aspires to join the notorious Axe Gang. His bungled attempt to extort the residents of Pig Sty Alley inadvertently leads to a gang war that gradually reveals surprising martial arts masters hiding among the slum's humble residents. Directors: Stephen Chow Writers: Stephen Chow, Huo Xin, Chan Man-keung, Tsang Kan-cheung Story by: Stephen Chow Cinematography: Poon Hang-sang Edited by: Angie Lam Music by: Raymond Wong Starring: Stephen Chow as Sing Danny Chan as Brother Sum Yuen Qiu as Landlady Yuen Wah as Landlord Leung Siu-lung as Beast Xing Yu as Coolie Chiu Chi-ling as Tailor Dong Zhihua as Donut Lam Chi-chung as Bone Huang Shengyi as Fong Tin Kai-man as Adviser Gar Hong-hay and Fung Hak-on as Harpists Introduction: A ...

Frank Oz: From Worst to Best

I've finished my Frank Oz filmography a while back and hadn't had the time to post here the rank and some thoughts about his work. Let's try to refresh my memory and give you some of my opinions... man. Frank Oz is a true legend. At 81, he's not just a brilliant filmmaker but also a puppeteer and writer whose characters, from the Muppets to Sesame Street, have touched countless lives. His directing career is full of outstanding, entertaining movies; out of 14 films, there's really only one rotten apple in the bunch. I'm not sure if he's planning to make any more movies, but I'd love to see him try his hand at a serious drama, just to see him flex a different creative muscle. I wouldn't like to be that famous, I value my privacy. Mind you, Miss Piggy enjoys every moment of it. If it were not for me, she would spend all her time in the limelight. Frank OZ This is his entire fi...

Violation (2020)

Violation is a 2020 Canadian drama horror film directed and written by Madeleine Sims-Fewer and Dusty Mancinelli. It is the feature film debut of the two directors, who have collaborated on several short films displayed at film festivals worldwide. The film stars Madeleine Sims-Fewer, Anna Maguire, Jesse LaVercombe, Obi Abili, Jasmin Geljo, and Cynthia Ashperger. The film premiered at the 2020 Toronto International Film Festival. It had its US premiere at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival on February 1, 2021 in the Midnight section. source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Violation_(film) A troubled woman on the edge of divorce returns home to her younger sister after years apart. But when her sister and brother-in-law betray her trust, she embarks on a vicious crusade of revenge. source: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt12801814/ ***SPOILER ALERT*** F: Well, shit. If there are movies that I would like to unwatch, this is one of those. I felt violated...