''La Fonte des neiges'' (English title: ''Thawing out''; literally ''The melting of the snows'') is a 2009 short comedy drama film directed by

Jean-Julien Chervier Jean-Julien Chervier (born 14 July 1971) is a French writer and director whose films often deal with themes of adolescence and sexuality. Biography After studying Art Sciences at the Sorbonne, Jean-Julien Chervier produced a radio program devote ...

Synopsis

''La Fonte des neiges'' is about a few days of a holiday when Leo, a twelve-year-old child, is forced to follow his mother to a

nudist camp A naturist resort or nudist resort is an establishment that provides accommodation (or at least camping space) and other amenities for guests in a context where they are invited to practise naturism – that is, a lifestyle of non-sexual socia ...

. At first deeply shy, he responds by wearing extra clothes. After meeting Antoinette, a playful girl, Leo slowly becomes more relaxed and is revealed as a responsible and gentle person. He gets to know Antoinette better throughout the film and the discovery of his body, as well as the first feelings of love take on the appearance of a fairy tale with a hallucinogenic quality.

Reception

The film, which deals carefully with a subject that could be controversial, was broadcast on the French-German national television channel

Arte Arte (; (), sometimes stylized in lowercase or uppercase in its logo) is a European public service channel dedicated to culture. It is made up of three separate companies: the Strasbourg-based European Economic Interest Grouping ARTE, plus ...

. It has been called "A very fine short film". The film was shown in 2009 at the

Brooklyn Film Festival The Brooklyn Film Festival (BFF), prior to 2011 called the Brooklyn International Film Festival (BiFF) is an independent film festival held every June in Brooklyn, New York. Started by Marco Ursino, Susan Mackell, Abe Schrager, and Mario Pegoraro ...

. It was shown at the Lisbon International Independent Film Festival in 2010. It was shown at the 12th Festival du Film Court Francophone at

Vaulx-en-Velin Vaulx-en-Velin () is a commune in the Metropolis of Lyon in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in eastern France. It is the third-largest suburb of the city of Lyon, and is located to its northeast, on the river Rhône. History The rivers, including th ...

in January 2012. It was also shown at international festivals such as Ebensee and Clermont-Ferrand.

Cast

*Marc Beffa — Léo *

Géraldine Martineau Géraldine Martineau is a French actress, originally from Nantes, France. She started acting when she was 8 years old. At the age of 17, she was accepted into the Cours Florent and started a course in the Classe Libre (a free 2-year acting cours ...

— Antoinette *

Zazon Castro Zazon (born Élisabeth Castro, 12 October 1976) is a French filmmaker and actress. She is the daughter of architect Roland Castro. Biography Elizabeth Castro was born in Paris on 12 October 1976, while her parents were living on the rue Saint- ...

* Laurent Roth *Natanaël Sylard *Philippe Caulier *Laura Luna

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Fonte Des Neiges, La 2009 films