A Real Young Girl
Year: 2001
Runtime: 89 min
Language: French
Director: Catherine Breillat
During the 1960s, a teenage girl begins a coming-of-age journey exploring her identity and desires. Set against a backdrop of rural beauty, she confronts the challenges of adolescence and grapples with the complexities of burgeoning passion and self-discovery in a changing era.
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A Real Young Girl (2001) – Full Plot Summary & Ending Explained
Read the complete plot breakdown of A Real Young Girl (2001), including all key story events, major twists, and the ending explained in detail. Discover what really happened—and what it all means.
Alice Bonnard, a 14-year-old girl, returns to her home in the picturesque Landes forest for the summer of 1963 after spending time at a boarding school in France. This journey sparks vivid reflections on her experiences at school, where she often found herself bored, leading to moments of self-exploration. One particularly shocking memory involves her using a spoon in a deeply personal moment of curiosity.
As fate would have it, her father employs a young man named Jim, who captivates Alice at first sight. She’s drawn into a world of intense sexual fantasies, one of which includes a disorienting scenario where Jim binds her to the ground with barbed wire, attempting to introduce an earthworm into her body. When the earthworm fails to fit, Jim resorts to tearing it apart and placing the pieces in her pubic hair, a scene that reflects Alice’s tumultuous internal struggles.
Alice’s summer takes a disturbing turn during a carnival ride when a middle-aged man exposes himself to her. This encounter leads her to a frightening realization about her own father, as she finds herself imagining his naked body. Stepping into a realm of unforeseen intimacy, she decides to unveil herself to Jim, culminating in a mutual act of masturbation, an experience fraught with embarrassment for Alice.
The narrative escalates when Alice uncovers her father’s affair, amidst Jim’s increasing pressure on her to engage in sexual activity. However, fate intervenes dramatically when Jim meets an untimely death due to a trap set up by Alice’s father, designed for wild boars that threaten his maize crops. This shocking conclusion not only signifies a tragic end for Jim but also leaves Alice grappling with the complexities of desire, betrayal, and the painful journey toward understanding her own sexuality.
Last Updated: November 08, 2024 at 01:30
Explore Movie Threads
Discover curated groups of movies connected by mood, themes, and story style. Browse collections built around emotion, atmosphere, and narrative focus to easily find films that match what you feel like watching right now.
Bleak coming-of-age movies like A Real Young Girl
Stories of youth where self-discovery leads to trauma and disillusionment.If you were captivated by the raw and unsettling portrayal of adolescence in A Real Young Girl, explore these similar movies. This collection features stories of young protagonists navigating dark, traumatic journeys of self-discovery, marked by heavy emotional weight and bleak endings.
Narrative Summary
The narrative follows a young protagonist's journey through a formative period, but instead of growth and hope, it leads to emotional trauma, disturbing encounters, and a shattered worldview. The linear plot is often layered with psychological depth and symbolic imagery, emphasizing the internal turmoil over external action.
Why These Movies?
Movies are grouped here for their shared commitment to portraying the darker, more traumatic side of growing up. They connect through a dominant dark tone, heavy emotional weight, a slow, atmospheric pacing that builds dread, and an ending that offers little to no resolution or hope.
Slow-burn oppressive dramas like A Real Young Girl
Atmospheric films where tension and unease slowly suffocate the characters.For viewers who appreciated the slow-building, dreamlike dread of A Real Young Girl, this section finds similar films. These movies use a measured pace to craft an atmosphere of psychological unease and raw intensity, often focusing on characters trapped in isolating or confrontational situations.
The Big House
1930
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2008
Burning
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1995
Burnt Offerings
1976
Lovely, Dark, and Deep
2024
Suddenly Last Summer
2012
Lady Macbeth
2017
That Cold Day in the Park
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Bad Things
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Symptoms
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A Quiet Place in the Country
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The Dark
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Dark Tourist
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The Element of Crime
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Narrative Summary
The narrative unfolds gradually, prioritizing mood and atmosphere over plot momentum. Conflict is often internal or psychological, generated by a claustrophobic setting, societal pressures, or a character's deteriorating mental state. The story structure is typically linear but emphasizes lingering shots, symbolic scenes, and a palpable building of tension.
Why These Movies?
These films are united by their specific approach to pacing and mood. They share a slow, almost meditative rhythm that allows unease to fester, a dark or melancholic tone, and a high intensity derived from psychological tension rather than action. The experience is defined by a feeling of inescapable oppression.
Unlock the Full Story of A Real Young Girl
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A Real Young Girl Timeline
Track the full timeline of A Real Young Girl with every major event arranged chronologically. Perfect for decoding non-linear storytelling, flashbacks, or parallel narratives with a clear scene-by-scene breakdown.
Characters, Settings & Themes in A Real Young Girl
Discover the characters, locations, and core themes that shape A Real Young Girl. Get insights into symbolic elements, setting significance, and deeper narrative meaning — ideal for thematic analysis and movie breakdowns.
