Young & Beautiful (2013) is a French drama about a teenage girl who, after losing her virginity, decides to become a prostitute. And that’s pretty much it.
This film received a lot of praise upon release—it was even nominated for the Palme d’Or at Cannes. Audiences seemed to like it, too. On IMDb, it scores 6.8 out of 10, and on Letterboxd, 3.3 out of 5.
As for me? I thought it was boring.
The film is very French. And, much like the title suggests, it worships at the altar of youth and eroticism. Because when you really break it down, all it does is follow Isabelle (played by Marine Vacth) as she moves from one man to the next, collects cash, gets found out, gets yelled at by her parents. The film almost bends over backward trying to make a mystery out of why she becomes a prostitute—especially since she comes from a good family, has all her needs met, and is spoiled rotten.
But the answer isn’t profound. In fact, it’s simple—anyone who’s been around long enough will recognize what motivates her. She enjoys transactional relationships. She even says it herself: when money is exchanged, it creates clarity about what the relationship is. Fine. That’s what Isabelle is all about, even outside of paid encounters. Even in her personal relationships, where no money is involved, she still makes them transactional.
And the other women in her life—her own relatives—are afraid of her. Because they know Isabelle will take their men just because she can. It’s all a lark. Fun and games.
Of course, there’s a twist in the story, but I won’t spoil it. Still, that twist—the dramatic event that supposedly gives the film weight—doesn’t change who Isabelle is. By the end of the movie, I don’t feel like she’s grown as a person.
If that sounds compelling to you, go for it. But I don’t find any thrill in transactional relationships. I like love. I believe in love. I think there’s something beautiful about being with someone, seeing who they really are, in a way that goes deeper than monetary value.
It’s not that people like this don’t exist—they obviously do. We’ve all met people who don’t feel anything for anyone but like sex, so they acquire it like a business deal. No different from a corporate merger. And to me, that’s just boring.
I don’t find people like Isabelle particularly fascinating. A transaction might provide clarity, but it also provides no mystery.
And for that reason, I can’t recommend Young & Beautiful.
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