‘La Gradiva’ review: Observant French debut captures volatile youths on an Italian school trip

Dir: Marine Atlan. France, Italy. 2026. 145 mins

Turbulent teenage emotions drive Marine Atlan’s slow-burn debut feature-length drama, which takes us on a trip to Pompeii and the surrounding area in southern Italy with a group of French youngsters whose thoughts are starting to turn towards college. La Gradiva’s premiere in Cannes Critics’ Week should ensure plenty of additional festival play, while its avoidance of coming-of-age cliches could help attract arthouse distribution.

La Gradiva is an exploration of the mercurial nature of young group dynamics

Atlan co-writes with Anne Brouillet, who previously collaborated with her on the mid-length Green Romances and Daniel – which also focused on adolescents. They take a documentary approach to the group dynamic for much of the film, repaying patient audiences with a subtle multiple character study that is also an anthem to the heightened experiences of youth. 

Amid the boisterous group, which is led by by Latin teacher Madame Mercier (Antonia Buresi), three teenagers immediately catch the camera’s interest on the train south. Chief among them is Toni (Colas Quignard), a disruptive joker who commands attention from both students and frustrated teachers. His best mate James (Mitia Capellier) is a lothario, even managing a quick close encounter on the train – a scene that sharply contrasts intimacy with Toni observing from outside the carriage. Suzanne (Suzanne Gerin), meanwhile, is an arty loner, introduced as she watches Toni watching James. Whether you are an observer or a participant is a crucial element of teen life, and Atlan takes her time tracing this through everyday interactions, from dancing to drinking dares.

We join the teens on their excursions, as Mme Mercier tries to engage them with plate tectonics, casts of the Pompeii victims and art frescoes. Toni has a much more personal historical reason for his interest in the trip, telling his friends the tragic story of an aristocratic heritage that stems from the region – a far cry from what we go on to glean about his troubled relationship with his mother. He is keen to learn more about the branch of his family he never met, unaware of the potential consequences. 

Atlan’s background as a cinematographer on films including The Girl In The Snow, Jessica Forever and The Rapture, shows in the loose, roving camerawork and use of natural light, as she shares DP duties with Pierre Mazoyer. Dappled sunshine gives a sense of movement on the train, while neon lights are employed to similarly good effect as the teens complete the final leg of the journey on a bus after dark. The inclusion of a Super 8 dream sequence may be an experimental grace note too far but this remains an ambitious, layered work.

The filmmaker has an ear for teenage dialogue and an ability to extract naturalistic performances from her young cast, spanning the gamut of teen interaction – from the intimate camaraderie of Toni and James scrutinising Toni’s potential male dates to the exaggerated drama sparked by a simple walk up a hill. “I’m going to get holes in my shoes,” says one, “I need water. My throat is like the Sahara,” complains another. 

The patient, documentary style allows the viewer time to absorb the ensemble cast and their shifting reactions, particularly towards Mme Mercier as she waxes lyrical. Atlan is equally attentive to the city of Naples and its surroundings, encouraging us, like the teens, to appreciate the energy of a region still under threat from earthquakes and volcanoes. Just as volatile are the unseen emotional tremors and urges the teens experience. La Gradiva is not about overt bullying but rather an exploration of the mercurial nature of young group dynamics that zeroes in on the bruising pressure points of teenage life – that are as much self-generated as imposed by others.