Lea - The Stripping Student - DVD

Film: The life of Lea (Anne Azoulay), a student from Le Havre, is anything but relaxed. When she's not studying, she's taking care of her grandmother (Ginette Garcin), who suffers from dementia, or working as a waitress in a discotheque. Already, she is barely making ends meet on the money she earns there. When she gets a place at university in Paris, she realizes that she has to change her life fundamentally in order to take advantage of this chance for a better future. But to do so, her grandmother has to go into a nursing home. And living in Paris is not exactly cheap either. To be able to cope with all this, Lea decides to work as a stripper in a classy Parisian striptease club. After initial scruples, Lea soon does very well in her new job and finally earns good money. But the work changes Lea and she realizes that she is in danger of losing sight of her real goal...

.The title Lea - The Stripping Student may sound like a cheap 70s soft-sex flick, but in reality Bruno Rolland's film is a haunting, quiet social drama that has some nudity and a little eroticism, but ultimately focuses on the character Lea and her inner life, which is properly upset by her job as a stripper. Rolland creates a strong, but at times very dark and disturbing portrait of a young woman who is trapped in a dreary existence and who, of all things, is threatened with a total crash by the chance for a better life.

The fact that Lea has absolutely shut down emotionally and thus has actually become unapproachable for human closeness weighs particularly heavily here. In the bartender Julien, played by Eric Elmosnino (Gainsbourg), she finds a kind of friend, but when the two get closer and spend a passionate night together, Lea then immediately closes off again and thus again puts obstacles in her own way.

The production is overall rather restrained, never seems voyeuristic and even showmanship can not be accused of Rolland. However, the worn, almost dreary staging sometimes comes across as a bit unwieldy, which could be just as off-putting as the fact that Lea is not always a person with whom you can and want to identify as a viewer. Especially the way she treats Julien could cost her a lot of sympathies. But actually, this is one of the film's strengths. Because instead of making Lea a pure victim, a pitiful do-gooder, Rolland draws her with all the flaws and strengths that make her very human.

For those who appreciate dramaturgically heavy social dramas with good actors and are not afraid of challenging French cinema, Lea - The Stripping Student can be warmly recommended, if only because of Anne Azoulay's strong performance. Worth seeing!

Image + Sound: The film is often kept in rather drab colors and darker moments. Even if the atmosphere of the story are well captured by this, small weaknesses have to be accepted in the sharpness of detail and contrast matching. In the brighter moments, however, the visuals of the drama are able to please with good overall sharpness. The Dolby Digital 5.1 mix remains very subdued in many moments, with only the occasional music providing a bit of movement in the surrounds. Good!

Extras: In addition to the trailer for the film, the DVD also has the 33-minute short film La foret du monde (French. with German UT) by Bruno Rolland to offer, in which Anne Azoulay also plays a small role. A very quiet, somewhat unwieldy addition, but worth watching in the end. Good!

Conclusion: Lea - The Stripping Student is a good social drama that scores with a great lead actress and a moving story. The film has much more dramaturgical depth than the German title suggests. Only the very worn staging, which at times seems to be crushed by an overpowering dreariness, makes the film rather inaccessible for a wider audience. But those who appreciate sophisticated French dramas with a touch of eroticism can safely risk a look here

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp