Quartile rating: 7.5/10 · 1 rating
What do you dream of when you're 16-years-old and in a seaside resort in Normandy in the 1980s? A best friend? A lifelong teen pact? Scooting off on adventures on a boat or a motorbike? Living life at breakneck speed? No. You dream of death. Because you can't get a bigger kick than dying. And that's why you save it till the very end. The summer holidays are just beginning, and this story recounts how Alexis grew into himself.
François Ozon's adaptation of Aidan Chambers' 'Dance on My Grave' is a sun-drenched, melancholic coming-of-age romance set on the Normandy coast in the 1980s. The cinematography is a genuine standout — Hichame Alaouié's lenswork captures the nostalgic warmth and fleeting beauty of youth with exceptional style, rich in golden light and coastal textures. The non-linear narrative structure, framed through Alexis's retrospective narration, gives the film a lyrical, literary quality that elevates it above genre norms. Acting from the two leads is committed and naturalistic, though the emotional register occasionally strains credibility in heightened moments. The plot follows a fairly familiar arc of intense summer infatuation, loss, and grief, and while Ozon handles it with sensitivity, the story beats don't surprise seasoned viewers of the genre. Novelty sits in the middle — the 80s aesthetic and Ozon's precise authorial touch give it a distinct flavor, but the coming-of-age gay romance framework is well-trodden. The ending, while emotionally resonant and thematically coherent with the film's meditation on mortality and memory, lands without full catharsis.