Water Lilies

2007 1h 25m FR

👍

6.5

SOLID

🍅

81%

FRESH

👌

METACRITIC

⭐

6.7

IMDB

★6.5TMDB · 485🍅81%Rotten Tomatoes●67Metacritic★6.7IMDB · 15,294

DramaRomance

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Set during a sultry summer in a French suburb, Marie is desperate to join the local pool's synchronized swimming team, but is her interest solely for the sake of sport or for a chance to get close to Floriane, the bad girl of the team? Sciamma, and the two leads, capture the uncertainty of teenage sexuality with a sympathetic eye in this delicate drama of the angst of coming-of-age.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Where to watch · US

Criterion ChannelSubscription

Cast

Pauline Acquart
Marie
Louise Blachère
Anne
Adèle Haenel
Floriane
Warren Jacquin
François
Christel Baras
L'inspectrice
Marie Gili-Pierre
La caissière
Alice de Lencquesaing
Fille vestiaire
Claire Pierrat
Fille vestiaire 2

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Céline Sciamma
Writers: Céline Sciamma
Languages: French
Countries: France

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 7

RUNTIME

Did you know

85 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 7

ERA

Did you know

Released 19 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Céline Sciamma, shot by Crystel Fournier. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Para One. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 7

ERA

Did you know

Editor Julien Lacheray shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 7

CAST

Did you know

Pauline Acquart and Louise Blachère and Adèle Haenel carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 7

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0869977 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Céline Sciamma directs. Crystel Fournier behind the camera. Para One scores. Julien Lacheray cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in France. Dialogue in French.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

185 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
2Released 19 years ago.
3Directed by Céline Sciamma, shot by Crystel Fournier. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Para One. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Julien Lacheray shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Pauline Acquart and Louise Blachère and Adèle Haenel carry the top of the cast.
7IMDB entry: tt0869977 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
8Classified under 18 themes, including "paris, france", "forbidden love", "female friendship", "loss of virginity".
9Released under 13 different titles around the world.