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The Ontario Film Review Board banned Fat Girl -- or A Ma Soeur! -- 15 months ago, the only jurisdiction in Canada to do so. But the ban was overturned when the Ontario government finally refused to defend its board in a court challenge launched by the distributors. The film plays in French with English subtitles.
Nothing in this film warranted such drastic action in the first place, but there is plenty on screen to provoke a response to the tragic story and the hot-button themes it dares to tackle.
There are brief scenes of nudity, simulated sexual encounters and a rape. But, because of the brutal and blunt way writer-director Catherine Breillat shot these sequences, there is nothing exploitative about them.
Fat Girl is a shattering experience. For parents, it will serve to remind them of the naivete, confusion and even terror surrounding a teenaged girl's sexual awakening. For youths who will eventually see this film, regardless of the "restricted" rating, Fat Girl serves as a haunting reminder of how serious sexual issues can be. This is not a "how-to" but a "watch-out," particularly when predatory males impose a double standard.
In the story, the Thin Girl named Elena (Roxane Mesquida) is 15, sensually alive and ripe for the creepy seductions lavished upon her by a selfish law student (Libero de Rienzo).
The Fat Girl of the English title is Elena's 13-year-old sister Anais (Anais Reboux). She may be rotund and obviously too young to understand what is going on but, inspired by her sister's new experiences, she is sexually charged too.
The girls' parents are physically present but emotionally absent, especially the frazzled mother (Arsinee Khanjian in a terrific, if thankless, performance).
The two girls, part of the internationally diverse cast assembled by Breillat, are simply astonishing, as much for what they indicate with their eyes and body language as what they do and say. It is in these spaces, between actions and beyond words, that the true artistry of Fat Girl resides. Which is something no porno film could ever claim.
(This film is rated R)