Directed by Charlène Favier
Written by Charlène Favier, Antoine Lacomblez, and Marie Talon
Starring Noée Abita, Jérémie Renier, Marie Denarnaud, Maïra Schmitt
1 hour 32 minutes
Unrated - nudity, rape, sexual assault
Language: French with subtitles
In select theaters and Kino Marquee on April 9

by Audrey Callerstrom, Staff Writer

Set in the isolated landscape of the French alps, Slalom, the debut film from director Charlène Favier, is aptly described as a “#metoo drama.” I’ve seen “#metoo” mentioned in a handful of marketing materials to describe a film. It’s probably not something we should use at every whim, and certainly not something we should use as a marketing ploy. Favier’s film, set in an elite ski camp for teens, is an exception. This is a heartbreaking film about how ski instructor Fred (Jérémie Renier) keeps 15-year-old prodigy Lyz Lopez (Noée Abita) under his control. “He crushes you, you listen, and you get better,” another skier tells her. So Lyz listens.

Instantly, Lyz is singled out. She doesn’t come from money and she keeps to herself. Fred barks at her, “I want to see what you’re made of or you go home.” Lyz’s mother (Muriel Combeau) takes a job far from the ski camp and doesn’t come to practices. She even prioritizes a vacation away with a new beau over seeing her daughter on Christmas. The expression on Abita’s face in that moment is crushing. Like a real teen in the passenger seat, she looks out the window to hide her reaction. We see that Lyz looks uncomfortable in her own body, like a real teenager, but it’s amplified by how often she must put her body through rigorous work. French actress Abita is terrific as 15-year-old Lyz, often gazing down when speaking. Once Lyz starts to show her capability as an athlete is when Fred moves in to exploit her. It starts with special treatment, like giving Lyz expensive equipment (“I got you a sponsor,” he claims). Eventually Fred exerts entire control; as her grades start to plummet, Fred suggests that Lyz live with him and his girlfriend Lilou (Marie Denarnaud). Lyz’s mom agrees.

Fred manipulates her by never acknowledging or speaking about her in any way other than as his product. On first meeting, he asks her to strip to her underwear and tells her to lose weight. He gives her a giant container of protein powder, which Lyz eats by the fistful in her bed. They celebrate her big win by doing donuts on the ice, but the moment takes a turn when he sexually assaults her. “Look what you do to me,” he says, shifting the blame. It’s a competitive ski camp, so she doesn’t have any friends, aside from possible crush Justine (Maïra Schmitt). Even Lilou seems to resent her, but she can’t get Lyz to tell her what Fred is doing. “Stop repeating what he says,” Lilou says as Lyz dodges her questions. Favier takes the camera above the Alps just to show exactly how isolated Lyz is. She’s surrounded by snow and mountains. Even when she leaves, she ends up hitching a ride back. Where else is she supposed to go? There’s wolves in the mountains, Fred shows her from a ski lift.

The assault and rape scenes show how someone, especially someone paralyzed with fear, cannot fight back, physically or otherwise. Lyz has no support network to turn to for help. Slalom is exceptionally well shot, particularly a training scene in red lighting against a backdrop of bright, white-blue mountains through windows (which also serves as the film’s poster image). The original score, used sparingly but effectively, has a pleasant techno/chillwave sound. I would have liked to know more about who Lyz was before she came to the camp. How can someone who has been training since age 4 do so without support or encouragement from her parents? What drives her? When asked by Justine’s mother why she wants to win, Lyz doesn’t seem to have a good answer. I would have also liked more scenes with Justine, who serves as Lyz’s competition and also her only ally. There are moments between these two young women where things are left unspoken but understood. Slalom can be a brutal film, but it ends on an empowering final moment with the hope that Lyz can pursue finally her passion on her own terms.