This gentle, closely observed autobiographical tale, a first film by director
Diane Kurys, got a very favorable critical reception at the time of its release. It concerns the experiences of Anne (Eleonore Klarwein) and Frederique (Odile Michel), the 13- and 15-year-old daughters of a separated Jewish couple. They are attending a grim, rule-crazy school in the early 1960s. Anne is unsocial and not much of an "achiever"; she tries to find out what is going on around her by eavesdropping on her mother and her older sister. Frederique is much more outgoing, has a crush on someone much older than herself, and is beginning to feel the first pangs of love. They are both awkward around their father, whom they visit on school holidays. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide