Cold Water

An acclaimed early work by Olivier Assayas that has long remained unavailable, the deeply felt coming-of-age drama Cold Water at long last makes its way to U.S. theaters. Drawing from his own youthful experiences, Assayas revisits the outskirts of Paris in the early 1970s, telling the story of teenage lovers Gilles (Cyprien Fouquet) and Christine (Virginie Ledoyen), whose open rebellion against family and society threatens to tear them apart, as Christine is sent to an institution by her parents and Gilles faces an uncertain future after running into trouble at school. With a rock soundtrack that vividly evokes the period, and provides the backdrop for one of the most memorable party sequences ever committed to film, Cold Water is a heartbreaking immersion into the emotional tumult of adolescence.

"Feels as fresh today as when it was filmed close to 25 years ago." Daniel --Eagen, Film Journal International


"A beautiful, enchanting film." (New York Times)

"A fiery tale of teenage despair, as fresh as when it debuted." - (J. Hoberman, the New York Times)

"It’s completely intense and completely, omnisciently cool." (New York Times)