First off, coming-of-age films are more an all-or-nothing proposition for me than is any other film genre: I either love the film or I hate it -- no halfway in between. For example, I've seen Ferris Bueller's Day off exactly one-and-a-half times! The first time I sat down to watch it, it struck me as so mindlessly inane that I just couldn't sit it out. I dutifully watched it all the way through (with my kids) on a later occasion, but without any change of heart. Apparently many others find it an entertaining film. I'll take the teenaged Molly Ringwald, instead, any day of the week, with all the attendant travails of puppy love! Peaking that early in life, though, has to be a bummer for dear old Molly!

Next to the Ringwald coming-of-age classics, this sweet French piece of teen candy, with angst filling, is my favorite coming-of-age film among those featuring the fair sex more than their hormonal and hairy counterparts. Peppermint Soda (Diabolo Menthe) has all the fresh innocence of a kiss at fifteen after a tic tac. For male viewers, it's like a fleeting peek into the girl's bathroom -- revealing just a soupçon of the mystery that girls always were and always will be.

The story is seen from the vantage point of 13-year-old Anne Weber (Eleonore Klarwein), but divides its attention almost equally between her life and that of her sister, 15-year-old Frederique (Odile Mitchel). These pretty-enough sisters are children of a divorced Jewish couple and live in Paris. The film follows a year in their lives that begins with a news flash announcing the assassination of John F. Kennedy, making the period 1963/4. The girls attend a rather authoritarian school where the students generally take far more delight in tormenting their teachers than in what they are (or are not) learning (yeah, I remember those days!). The film follows their activities not only in school, but at home with their mother (Anouk Ferjac), hanging out with friends, and during holidays with their father, with whom they have an awkward but suitable enough relationship.

Frederique, the older sister, experiences her first romance, later falls out of love, and still later has a somewhat peculiar affectionate relationship with the father of a rebellious classmate who has run away from home. She also passively observes another girl who had been her friend being increasingly ostracized for her political persuasions.

For her part, Anne wants nothing more than to match her big sister’s maturity, sometimes with comic results, such as when she explains to one of her classmates about boys getting erections and exaggerates the dimensions of such occurrences by a great deal indeed. Later, she has her first period. Having yet to acquire the attention of boys, she steams open her sister’s love letters to gather intelligence. One of her major ambitions is to wear nylon stockings, which is forbidden by her mother. Another is to hang out at the locale café, as her sister does, and slurp down the peppermint sodas. Frederique, on the other hand, wants to distance herself from her immature pest of a little sister. Anne acts out her hostilities by cheating in school and tormenting Frederique whenever possible.

Peppermint Soda, released in 1977, was the first and most successful directing effort of Diane Kury and was based on her own experiences as an adolescent and those of her sister. It won the Prix Louis Delluc award, a prestigious honor. While not a great film, it is charming and fresh and features appealing performances by the principals. It encompasses some universal aspects of coming of age, but with a recognizably French twist. The American version is in French with English subtitles, with a running time of 97 minutes. It is suitable for teens and adults and would most likely be especially enjoyed by a group of teenage girls at a slumber party.


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You might want to check out these other excellent films from France:

Alphaville
Amélie
The Battle of Algiers
La Belle et la Bête
Bob le Flambeur
Le Boucher
Boudu Saved from Drowning
A Bout de Souffle
La Cage aux Folles
Céline and Julie Go Boating
La Cérémonie
La Chèvre
Children of Paradise
Cléo from 5 to 7
Un Coeur en Hiver
Contempt
Cyrano de Bergerac
Delicatessen
The Dinner Game
Diva
The Earrings of Madame de . . .
Entre Nous
Eyes Without a Face
La Femme Nikita
Forbidden Games
French Cancan
Grand Illusion
Harvest
Hate
The Horseman on the Roof
Jean de Florette/Manon
The King of Hearts
Last Year at Marienbad
Life and Nothing But
Madame Rosa
A Man Escaped
Le Million
Monsieur Hire
The Mother and the Whore
La Nuit de Varennes
Pépé le Moko
Playtime
Providence
Rififi
La Ronde
Round Midnight
The Rules of the Game
Le Samourai
Summer
A Sunday in the Country
The Tall Blond Man with One Black Shoe
Three Colors
Umbrellas of Cherbourg
Vagabond
Wages of Fear

Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: VHS
Video Occasion: Good for Groups
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 13 and Older