Seaside (2002)

75% of critics liked it
(16 reviews)
19% of users liked it
(285 ratings)

Julie Lopes-Curval's debut feature, Seaside, closely observes the lives of about a dozen citizens in a small French village. Paul (Jonathan Zaccai) works as a lifeguard. His sister is employed at the local casino, a building frequented by their mother, Rose (Bulle Ogier). Rose is retired from a… More Julie Lopes-Curval's debut feature, Seaside, closely observes the lives of about a dozen citizens in a small French village. Paul (Jonathan Zaccai) works as a lifeguard. His sister is employed at the local casino, a building frequented by their mother, Rose (Bulle Ogier). Rose is retired from a factory that currently employs Paul's significant other, Marie (Helene Fillieres), and is lorded over by Albert (Patrick Lizana), the fourth generation of his family to run the business. Over the course of one year, the lives and fortunes of these people intertwine and change in major and minor ways. Seaside was screened at the Director's Fortnight during the 2002 Cannes Film Festival. ~ Perry Seibert, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 1 hr. 30 min.
Directed By: Julie Lopes-Curval
Written By: Julie Lopes-Curval, François Favrat
Genres: Art House & International, Drama

In Theaters: Oct 6, 2002 Wide
On DVD: Jul 20, 2004
Studio: First Run Features

Critic Reviews

Andrew Sarris, New York Observer
Along with Ms. Ogier, these four actresses [Fillières, Lizana, Mïkaël, Rovère] are the best reasons to see Seaside.
John Anderson, Newsday
Effective, if less than urgent.
Bob Campbell, Newark Star-Ledger
Touching, amusing, sometimes compelling, Seaside is ultimately little more revealing than a weekend visit. It's a sheaf of captivating postcards.
Elvis Mitchell, New York Times
[Lopes-Curval's] achievement is so particularly -- and peculiarly -- realized, evoking the enforced parameters and rhythms of small-town life, that the movie itself begins to feels restrictive.
V.A. Musetto, New York Post
The story is familiar and the direction doesn't break any new ground. Still, Lopes-Curval's excellent ensemble cast makes Seaside pleasurable viewing.
Michael Atkinson, Village Voice
Compare it to what passes for sophisticated filmmaking in this country and the movie becomes a living instrument of cinematic humanism.
Duane Dudek, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
A poignant and often charming but always understated look at drifting lives.
Les Wright, culturevulture.net
Poles-Curval balances the banal with the sublime in this simply remarkable and very French film.
Chris Hewitt (St. Paul), St. Paul Pioneer Press
If you were lolling on the beach, casting your eyes at the scantily clad folks around you and overhearing bits of their conversations, it would be akin to the experience of watching Seaside.
Ed Gonzalez, City Pages, Minneapolis/St. Paul
The film's simple beauty lies in the way that Lopes-Curval effortlessly equates life to a passing season.
, E! Online
Stifled passion isn't necessarily engaging, and by focusing on too many characters, it's tough to care about all of these drifting souls.
Rex Roberts, Film Journal International
Rarely does a filmmaker emerge so wholly formed, creating a miniature masterpiece first time out.
Christine James, Boxoffice Magazine
Writer-director Julie Lopes-Curval's film is commendable for its resolute honesty in depicting unabating starkness in both scenery and existence, but cinematically galvanizing it's not.
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat, Spirituality and Practice
Seaside is splendid exploration of the power of place and the small changes that give our lives meaning.
Ken Fox, TV Guide's Movie Guide
Director Julie Lopes-Curval's deeply thoughtful first feature explores the factors and forces, notably class difference, that determine the direction one's life takes.