Bad Company

When demure adolescent Delphine (Maud Forget) meets the braided-hair sporting, free-spirited would-be artist Olivia (Lou Doillon), worlds of possibilities open up. Suddenly, the repressed young lady is shoplifting, dancing with boys and thinking she knows the true meaning of life in that way that so many teens do. But Olivia's wild nature hides a tragedy in her past and a low self-esteem that leads her to have sex more often than perhaps she should with the wrong people, like auto mechanic Alain (Maxime Mansion). When Delphine hooks up with Alain's best friend Laurent (Robinson Stevenin, looking like a young Christian Slater circa Heathers), sex ensues and parents worry, but things don't seem to be as bad as all that. Until Laurent, realizing that Delphine will do anything for him, asks a horrendous favor that's a heinous abuse of their relationship. From there, things just get nasty, and if you're not in the mood for explicit discussions (and occasional depictions) of the sex life of French adolescents, close your eyes. All the unpleasantness is not without a point, however, even if the basic message is often simply that adolescents think they're more mature than they really are. There's some beautiful mountain scenery in the background, and this not being a Hollywood film, the token comic relief film geek character has a knowledge that encompasses more than just George Lucas. Bad Comapny makes a suitable double bill with this week's Beautiful Creatures: Even Thelma and Louise has nothing on these films when it comes to portraying strength in female bonding, and the ferocious hideousness of the predatory male.