Mes chères études (2010) Reviews

• Not entirely successful mixture of expose and exploitation, but worth seeing for Deborah Francois

  lazarillo2013-01-27

  This French movie is based on a supposedly autobiographical story about a young and incredibly naive university student (Deborah Francois) who has to resort to prostitution to pay for her studies. This movie certainly doesn't glamorize prostitution from the female perspective as the girl's johns are presented as decidedly unattractive, pathetic, and borderline dangerous. It kind of DOES, however, tend to glamorize prostitution from the male perspective as Deborah Francois ("The Page Turner", "Female Agents") is very attractive and spends half the movie in various stages of undress. Moreover, she is (often pretty unbelievably) sweet and naive and probably nowhere near as cynical and hard-bitten as the kind of person who would be working as a prostitute in real-life. I'm sure most of the potential male audience of this movie can't honestly say they are watching this purely out of social concern that gorgeous but financially strapped French co-eds might be turning to prostitution (at least I know I can't). There's always a danger in a film that, on one hand, is this sexually explicit, but is also, on the other hand, trying to generally condemn the sex trade. They've actually made a few films like this in America recently. "About Cherry" (with another unbelievably gorgeous model/actress, Ashley Hinshaw) runs into the same problems as this one. But both are vastly preferable to "On the Doll" where the decidedly PG-13 content manages to add to an already ridiculous and laughably unbelievable "expose" content. Only the obscure recent American indie film "Smile Pretty" successfully manages to be bold enough to tackle this kind of touchy subject without being so explicit as to slip into exploitation itself. I certainly DON'T want to take anything away from Francoise, however, who is quite good in this (and it's certainly not HER fault she's far more naturally beautiful than any real prostitute probably would be). I don't know is she speaks English well, but if so she certain has the talent to compete with most young Hollywood actresses (who would never be brave enough to tackle a sordid role like this). She could be the next Marion Cotillard (who tackled a number of French films like this before becoming a rising star in Hollywood), or at least the next Ludivine Sagnier (a big star in France who has occasionally been successful outside it). She is definitely one to watch.

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• Not Exactly Erotic But Compelling

  chicagopoetry2011-05-10

  Okay, you can compare Student Services (what a horrible, porno name in the first place) to Lolita or The Lover, but what makes this different than Looking For Mr. Goodbar I suspect is the fact that the woman who becomes the prostitute does not die or otherwise meet her downfall, but instead, regardless of the horrible things she is forced to go through, she achieves, passes her college exams and moves on in life. That is the most horrible aspect of this film, what I suspect is behind the negative reviews of it, that are not judging the quality of writing, acting or direction--all of which are superb--but instead that judge the morality of the story, which instead of handing us some Christian values, hands us a glimpse of a possible truth. She didn't fall for that final offer and good for her. Good movie. Check it out.

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• Get Educated with Student Services!

  RockPortReview2012-04-03

  "Student Service" or "Mes Cheres Etudes" is the 2010 film that sheds light on a modern epidemic afflicting thousands and thousands of French college students. Skyrocketing costs of higher education and living expenses have forced many bright young students into selling their bodies to make ends meet. This is the true story of one such girl who wrote a book under the name Laura D. Directed by Emmanuelle Bercot and starring the mesmerizing and talented Deborah Francois who plays the girl named Laura. Even while living with a roommate/boyfriend and working as a telemarketer Laura is unable to maintain the very basic needs of life. She starts to peruse a French version of Craig's List and finds quite a few guys looking to pay for "companionship". The first guy she meets is Joe an older man who pays her 100 Euros an hour. Laura is obviously shy and nervous and can't believe she has fallen to this level. These scenes are not made out to be sexy as we take Laura's point of view and are as nervous and insecure as she is. Joe seems to be your average guy, but you know he is just as disgusting and revolting as you think he is. She starts to build up a sort of client base of photographers, fetishists and perverts while the psychological strain starts to take its toll. She leaves her boyfriend and quickly finds a replacement in Benjamin, who is not one of her clients. Laura is betrayed by Joe who goes to far at one of their hotel encounters. While Benjamin is aware of what Laura does its only a matter of time before the jealousy becomes too great. It becomes a sort of bizarre love triangle between the three. Joe's continues to offer her more money for more dangerous work and after another brutal betrayal Laura hits bottom. The ending seems to be a little tacked on, because it happens so fast. She moves to Paris and finds this great job as a waitress and has an almost instant loving family of co workers. She passes all of her exams at school and starts to live her life like nothing happened. A swift happy ending but is it really? The filmmakers make the sex scenes as unsexy and unsettling as possible, not using any music and drenching it in nervous energy. Deborah Francois really inhabits Laura and holds nothing back as a girl willing to do anything to get what she wants. She also co- stared in the Cannes Film Festival Palm d'Or winning film "L'enfant (The Child)" in 2005. "Student Services" is available to watch on Netflix watch instantly. For more reviews visit www.RockportFilm.com

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• Mes chères etudes, shocking ugly truth not glamorous

  saadgkhan2012-05-29

  Mes chères etudes – Student Services – CATCH IT (B-) Based upon Mes chères études (My expensive studies in English) is a 2008, an autobiographical book by an anonymous author known as "Laura D.", who is a modern language student at a Paris university. The book has drawn national attention in France with its controversial contents, in which the author claimed that she had to go into prostitution to financially support her studies. (Wiki) French movies are sexually expletive and they don't hesitate in holding back. This goes for this one as well. It's at times very disturbing a young girl doing things with old man, getting raped, message or just lying naked. Anyways Déborah François did a great job because it didn't occur to me for a second that she is just an actress. The thing about the movie I didn't like that it's slow and spend too much time in the bedroom at times.

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• The story of the world's worst prostitute

  TdSmth52017-01-29

  Laura is a student living with her boyfriend in an apartment. They barely make ends meet. One night she tries to get intimate with him but he refuses so she checks out online classifieds for men seeking women and ends up replying to a guy who wants only non-sexual physical contact. She meets him, he's an older gentler guy who wants to talk and caress her but she doesn't really let him. Still, he thinks she's amazing. He becomes a regular for her. Her second client is much more sexually aggressive yet she acts as if she's not there to have sex. By now she starts making money and can afford the luxuries she sees other college girls having. But she doesn't go crazy shopping or anything of the sort. Aside from finer clothes it doesn't look like she's living a better life. Her boyfriend is clueless about it all but when she comes clean he's supportive and offers his help. This girl is a terrible prostitute making it very clear to her clients that she's not interested in anything and she doesn't even act or pretend to enjoy her encounters. Not only that but she also has her customers pay her after the fact. And eventually it backfires when a guy pays only a fraction of the agreed fee. That drives her mad and puts a strain on her relationship. When she needs a laptop she again meets with her first regular. He wants to do more kinky stuff, but she refuses, runs away in disgust, still she takes the laptop, and he pays her on top off that. Now she's starting to have second thoughts about this career. But she agrees to meet the guy one last time. He takes her to some sex club. He knows all the guys there. He takes her to the dungeon there where two much older guys wait. Next we see her leaving in disgust. Presumably he made her have sex with the two? We don't know. This time he only pays her a part of her fees. When she decides to move to Paris the old guy calls her again with sob stories that he's got cancer and that he wants to see her one last time, and pay her thousands. In Paris, she gets a job as a waitress but she finds it all so difficult. Still she thrives. She returns to her hometown to take her exams. She studied languages and passes the exams. The movie begins and ends with Laura in a wig, doing some TV interview. The movie aims to alert the society how precarious the situation is for French college students and how many girls have to resort to prostitution. However, Student Services makes a very poor case for whatever point it's trying to make. I saw this movie years after seeing Young & Beautiful, another lackluster French movie about the exact same topic but that one was a bit more compelling. Student Service has little going for it in terms of characters, story, or titillation. Déborah François is cute in a normal girl sort of way but that's about it.

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