Kung-Fu Master!

Kung-Fu Master!

Year: 1988

Runtime: 80 mins

Language: French

Director: Agnès Varda

DramaRomance

He was fifteen, she was forty. A solitary forty‑year‑old woman discovers an unexpected, taboo attraction to fourteen‑year‑old Julien. Their bond forces her to question whether it is true love or a desperate bid to reverse the passage of time as she faces middle‑age uncertainty.

Warning: spoilers below!

Haven’t seen Kung-Fu Master! yet? This summary contains major spoilers. Bookmark the page, watch the movie, and come back for the full breakdown. If you're ready, scroll on and relive the story!

Timeline & Setting – Kung-Fu Master! (1988)

Explore the full timeline and setting of Kung-Fu Master! (1988). Follow every major event in chronological order and see how the environment shapes the story, characters, and dramatic tension.

Time period

Location

Mary-Jane's home, Lucy's school, a café, a hotel, a remote island, an arcade, England

The story unfolds across a suburban home where a party catalyzes a forbidden attraction. It also traverses Lucy's school, local cafés, a hotel, and a remote island that becomes a private stage for the romance. An arcade and England-bound travel set the backdrop for shifting loyalties and hidden desires.

❣️ Domestic 🗺️ Travel 🎭 Drama 🕊️ Scandal

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 13:29

Main Characters – Kung-Fu Master! (1988)

Meet the key characters of Kung-Fu Master! (1988), with detailed profiles, motivations, and roles in the plot. Understand their emotional journeys and what they reveal about the film’s deeper themes.

Mary-Jane (Jane Birkin)

Mary-Jane is a married woman and Lucy's mother who pursues a forbidden relationship with Julien. Her actions reveal a longing for youth and passion, but they also expose vulnerability and a willingness to gamble with her daughter's stability. She grapples with guilt, social stigma, and the fear of losing her family.

❣️ Complex emotions 🧭 Risk 💔 Scandal

Julien (Mathieu Demy)

A young teen whose eagerness and charm pull him toward Mary-Jane. He is both curious and impulsive, chasing closeness and affection. His actions catalyze the family crisis, and his adolescence collides with adult desire.

💫 Teen 🌀 Impulsiveness 🎭 Drama

Lucy (Charlotte Gainsbourg)

Mary-Jane's daughter, a teenager who observes the affair with a mix of astonishment and fear. She becomes a witness to the shifting loyalties inside her family and the pain that secrecy causes. Her reactions reveal resilience and a desire for stability.

👧 Teen 🕵️‍♀️ Observation 🎭 Drama

Mother (Judy Campbell)

The maternal elder figure who pushes back against the relationship and threatens legal action; Her stance tests the bonds within the family.

👩‍🦳 Authority ⚖️ Scandal 💬 Family

Father (David Birkin)

The father figure in Lucy's life, present in the home and impacted by the upheaval; He stands as a counterpoint to Mary-Jane's actions and the family's exposure to scandal.

👨 Family 🧭 Influence 🎭 Drama

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 13:29

Major Themes – Kung-Fu Master! (1988)

Explore the central themes of Kung-Fu Master! (1988), from psychological, social, and emotional dimensions to philosophical messages. Understand what the film is really saying beneath the surface.

💔 Forbidden Love

A romance defies age and social norms, forcing the trio to navigate secrecy and risk. Julien's eagerness and Mary-Jane's curiosity propel their affair, regardless of consequence. The relationship fractures trust and triggers consequences that ripple through Lucy's life and the family.

👪 Family Strains

The romance disrupts the mother-daughter dynamic as Lucy witnesses her mother with a younger boy. Custody and family stability hang in the balance as secrets surface. The narrative uses these tensions to explore boundaries, judgment, and the costs of passion.

🌴 Escapism and Consequence

The island escape embodies the desire to escape consequences, but reality intrudes as loyalties fracture and legal and social repercussions loom. The pursuit of closeness pushes characters toward risky choices and blurred moral lines. The story then confronts what remains when the escape ends and ordinary life resumes.

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 13:29

Mobile App Preview

Coming soon on iOS and Android

The Plot Explained Mobile App

From blockbusters to hidden gems — dive into movie stories anytime, anywhere. Save your favorites, discover plots faster, and never miss a twist again.

Sign up to be the first to know when we launch. Your email stays private — always.

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.

Movies about forbidden romance like Kung-Fu Master!

Stories that explore morally complex relationships with quiet, emotional weight.If you were captivated by the taboo relationship in Kung-Fu Master!, explore these films that similarly delve into forbidden love and its consequences. This selection features dramas with heavy emotional weight, melancholic tones, and a focus on the quiet fallout of crossing social lines.

unsettlingintrospectivetensesomberregretfulrestrained

Narrative Summary

The narrative pattern follows characters who enter a taboo relationship, exploring their motivations and the gradual escalation of consequences. The conflict is primarily internal and social, leading to a climax that forces a reckoning, often resulting in loss, regret, and a profound change for all involved.

Why These Movies?

Movies in this thread are grouped by their shared focus on ethically challenging relationships, a somber and reflective tone, and a narrative that prioritizes character psychology over plot-driven action. They create a similar feeling of unease and deep emotional investment.

Slow burn character studies like Kung-Fu Master!

Slow-burn stories where personal choices lead to profound, lasting damage.For viewers who appreciated the introspective and regretful pace of Kung-Fu Master!, this list highlights similar slow-burn dramas. These movies feature characters facing the heavy consequences of their actions, resulting in stories that are somber, psychologically nuanced, and emotionally resonant.

somberregretfulintrospectivemelancholicquietunsettlingrestrained

Narrative Summary

The journey typically begins with a character making a flawed choice driven by loneliness or desire. The story then unfolds slowly, focusing on intimate moments that build tension and culminate in a climax that reveals the full extent of the consequences, leaving characters to grapple with the aftermath.

Why These Movies?

These films share a specific mood mix: a slow, deliberate pacing that allows for deep character introspection, a melancholic tone, and a narrative structure that emphasizes the cause-and-effect of a single, damaging mistake, resulting in a uniformly heavy emotional experience.

Unlock the Full Story of Kung-Fu Master!

Don't stop at just watching — explore Kung-Fu Master! in full detail. From the complete plot summary and scene-by-scene timeline to character breakdowns, thematic analysis, and a deep dive into the ending — every page helps you truly understand what Kung-Fu Master! is all about. Plus, discover what's next after the movie.

Kung-Fu Master! Summary

Read a complete plot summary of Kung-Fu Master!, including all key story points, character arcs, and turning points. This in-depth recap is ideal for understanding the narrative structure or reviewing what happened in the movie.

Kung-Fu Master! Summary

Kung-Fu Master! Timeline

Track the full timeline of Kung-Fu Master! with every major event arranged chronologically. Perfect for decoding non-linear storytelling, flashbacks, or parallel narratives with a clear scene-by-scene breakdown.

Kung-Fu Master! Timeline

Kung-Fu Master! Spoiler-Free Summary

Get a quick, spoiler-free overview of Kung-Fu Master! that covers the main plot points and key details without revealing any major twists or spoilers. Perfect for those who want to know what to expect before diving in.

Kung-Fu Master! Spoiler-Free Summary

More About Kung-Fu Master!

Visit What's After the Movie to explore more about Kung-Fu Master!: box office results, cast and crew info, production details, post-credit scenes, and external links — all in one place for movie fans and researchers.

More About Kung-Fu Master!

Similar Movies to Kung-Fu Master!

Discover movies like Kung-Fu Master! that share similar genres, themes, and storytelling elements. Whether you’re drawn to the atmosphere, character arcs, or plot structure, these curated recommendations will help you explore more films you’ll love.