As coming-of-age films go, the French film Peppermint Soda (1977) has a special stillness and lonely innocence. Directed by Diane Kurys, the film is shot in lavish color and follows two teenage sisters, 13 and 15, over the course of 1963.
What's singular about the film is how it looks at the power and awkwardness of teenage girls as they try to figure out adulthood and balance their new-found maturity with responsibility and the rules of spirit-crushing parents and teachers.
The film's title refers to an adult soda that the younger sister likes to order in a café, a beverage that makes her feel grown up. The high school where much of the film takes place is the Lycée Jules-Ferry in Paris. The movie was a huge success and won the Louis Delluc Prize at the 1977 Cannes Film Festival.
You can watch Peppermint Soda for free on TubiTV by going here.
Reminder: Director Carol P. Chamberland's video documentary Legend of Bop City will be available to you only until Sunday night (ET). Then the video will go back in the can, and you may never see it again.
To access the video, copy this password: JWCPC21bQ
Next, go here and paste it into the box when asked.
If you need the link to reach the page, it's https://vimeo.com/897608425
Enjoy!
