1st Love

A French Canadian family arrives by boat to a lakeside cabin for the summer. Antoine, a 13-year-old with pronounced curiosity, is introduced as an observant boy whose gaze will frame the story. The parents settle in, establishing the household dynamics that will drive the film.

Antoine notices a two-piece swimsuit on a clothesline and later sees Anna lounging in her yard. He keeps his distance, simply watching rather than approaching. Anna calmly asks why he spies, and he offers no answer, not appearing upset by the intrusion.

When Antoine finally meets Anna, she questions his spying, and he remains reticent. She mentions she’ll enter university that fall, underscoring the age gap and complicated dynamics. The exchange hints at a connection that will blur boundaries as the story unfolds.

During a family lunch, Anna is polite and well-mannered, while Antoine's father shows a keen interest in Genevieve. The mother seems tolerant of the adults’ behavior, masking undercurrents of desire. The scene contrasts everyday civility with the hidden tensions between the grown-ups.

Antoine is invited to Anna’s circle, but she is entertaining two teenage boys instead. He settles in to watch as they drink and become intimate, while the group moves to the lake to swim. Anna lies back with Antoine’s legs resting against her, creating a charged, uneasy closeness.

Antoine returns home in the early hours, and his mother scolds him for staying out late. His father dismisses it as a male rite of passage, defending the behavior as normal. This moment deepens the sense that boundaries are porous and family norms are shifting.

In a moment of public drama, Anna breaks up with her boyfriend in front of Antoine’s cabin. Antoine feels unsettled, yet he remains a silent observer, continuing to watch from the shadows. The scene intensifies the sense that hidden affairs are influencing everyone involved.

Genevieve asks Antoine's father to read a play with her, pulling him into a private space away from Antoine. The same day, Anna argues with her mother about getting a ride into town, and the adults decide to take her, leaving Antoine behind. This trip expands the adults’ closeted world and depths of secrecy.

While walking through tall grass, Antoine follows Anna and discovers her with his father. The moment unfolds with tension as the father makes a tentative move, and Anna ultimately performs a sex act on him in the woods, an act Antoine witnesses from a distance. The revelation shatters Antoine’s sense of family and reality.

Back at the table, the adults discuss love and fidelity, while Anna abruptly leaves and Antoine is visibly distressed. His mother and father try to maintain a calm, congenial front, but the atmosphere is strained and the hidden affair bleeds into every conversation. The dinner ends with a lingering unease.

Antoine overhears his father on the phone with Anna, learning their affair is ending. Anna confronts the father on the cabin roof, and he physically removes her as a tense fight spills into the yard. The mother returns to calm the scene, while Antoine watches in horror at the knowledge he has gained.

Anna bolts toward the lake and throws herself into the water; Antoine dives in to rescue her, and she is left stranded in seaweed at the shore. As the family leaves by boat, the opening arrangement returns but with emotional distance: the mother’s touch on Antoine is rejected by him, signaling a broken family and a fleeting sense of closure.