''Year of the Jellyfish'' () is a 1984 French drama film inspired by a novel by

Christopher Frank Christopher Frank (5 December 1942, Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire, UK – 20 November 1993, Paris, France) was a British-born French writer, screenwriter, and film director. He won the 1972 Prix Renaudot for his novel ''La Nuit américaine'' th ...

, directed by Frank himself with

Valérie Kaprisky Valérie Kaprisky ( Chérès; born 19 August 1962) is a French actress. Life and career She was born Valerie Chérès on 19 August 1962 in Neuilly-sur-Seine. Kaprisky is her Polish mother's maiden name. She is of Greek-Ottoman and Argentine de ...

and

Bernard Giraudeau Bernard René Giraudeau (18 June 1947 – 17 July 2010) was a French sailor, actor, film director, scriptwriter, producer and writer. Early life He was born on 18 June 1947 in La Rochelle, Charente-Maritime. In 1963 he enlisted in the French na ...

. The film had a total of 1,554,641 admissions in France where it was the 23rd highest-grossing film of the year.

Plot

The teenage Chris is on holiday at

Saint-Tropez Saint-Tropez ( , ; ) is a Communes of France, commune in the Var (department), Var departments of France, department and the regions of France, region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, Southern France. It is west of Nice and east of Marseille, o ...

with her mother Claude, while her father remains at work in Paris. After seducing a married friend of her parents and undergoing an

abortion Abortion is the early termination of a pregnancy by removal or expulsion of an embryo or fetus. Abortions that occur without intervention are known as miscarriages or "spontaneous abortions", and occur in roughly 30–40% of all pregnan ...

, she is looking forward to new sexual adventures. Initially she falls for the older Romain, whose interest is in supplying young girls to rich men. For himself, Romain is far more interested in the mother Claude, who gradually thaws to his approaches and becomes his enthusiastic lover. Put out at this, Chris befriends a German married couple but, after a threesome in their hotel room, the husband leaves in disgust. While starting a romance with the abandoned wife (Barbara), Chris murders Romain in order to thwart her mother.

Principal cast

: Romain Kalides, the pimp *

: Chris, the daughter * Caroline Cellier: Claude, the mother *

Jacques Perrin Jacques Perrin (; born Jacques André Simonet ; 13 July 1941 – 21 April 2022) was a French actor and film producer. He was occasionally credited as Jacques Simonet. Early life Jacques André Simonet was born on the Boulevard Port-Royal in ...

: Vic, former lover of Chris *

Béatrice Agenin Béatrice Agenin (; born 30 July 1950 in Paris) is a French stage, film, television actress and director. Career Agenin received the second prize of French National Academy of Dramatic Arts in 1974 and was hired at the Comédie-Française the ...

: Marianne Lamotte *

Barbara Nielsen Barbara Nielsen (born 21 September 1949) is a Dutch Dutch or Nederlands commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands ** Dutch people as an ethnic group () ** Dutch nationality law, history and regulations of Dutch citi ...

: Barbara, current lover of Chris

Awards and nominations

César Awards The César Award is the national film award of France. It is delivered in the ' ceremony and was first awarded in 1976. The nominations are selected by the members of twelve categories of filmmaking professionals and supported by the French Min ...

(France) ** Won: Best Actress – Supporting Role (Caroline Cellier)

References

External links

* 1984 films French psychological drama films French erotic films 1980s psychological drama films 1984 LGBTQ-related films Films based on French novels Films set in Saint-Tropez Films shot in Saint-Tropez Films set in the Mediterranean Sea Films about adultery in France Fiction about abortion 1984 drama films 1980s French-language films 1980s French films Films featuring a Best Supporting Actress César Award–winning performance French-language drama films French LGBTQ-related films 1980s LGBTQ-related drama films {{1980s-France-film-stub