Red Kiss (Rouge Baiser)

In most respects, 15-year-old Nadia (Charlotte Valandrey) resembles the prototypical teenager of the early Fifties, with one big difference: the Parisian firespark's idol is not an emerging rock 'n roller, but Joseph Stalin. Valandrey, who won a Best Actress award at the Berlin Film Festival for her surprisingly mature performance, is excellent in this coming-of-age story which has Nadia passionately beating the red drum for Communism, until her naiveté is shattered by commercial photographer Stephane (Lambert Wilson). The pair meet during a violent confrontation between demonstrators and French police, when Stephane photographs Nadia as she is being beaten with clubs. Gradually, Nadia's illusions about a socialist utopia are replaced by a more immediate concern: love. Directed by Vera Belmont, Red Kiss is a tasteful exploration of one young girl's first experience with an "adult" relationship, heightened by the unusual social and political environment in which the story unfolds. Recommended. (R. Pitman)