Un peu beaucoup
Melanie has just reached the age at which she is allowed to drink a glass of wine with her parents on special occasions, and she no longer needs to sneak cigarettes. One thing she does hide are her meetings with Georg, the object of her older sister´s worship, who has just returned to town after a long absence. A relationship gradually develops, and Georg occasionally sneaks into her bedroom at night - almost as if in a dream. Everything changes when Melanie finds out she is pregnant: Georg disappears as suddenly as he showed up, and she is left alone with a baby she feels no affection for.
Un peu beaucoup is indicative of the tone of this film in which, although a great deal happens, the girl´s story is told in a calm and nearly matter-of-fact manner: There is little dialogue, the focus being the looks, glances and gestures its protagonists use to communicate - at the same time, a great deal of attention was also paid to everyday details.
The "bit much" of the title also characterizes Melanie´s emotional life. While it has been thrown into turmoil, the sweeping changes she is undergoing are not permitted to show on the surface. What Melanie feels is expressed in the form of music while she quietly plays a waiting game, apparently preferring to react to others rather than take the initiative herself. In the end everything becomes a "bit too much" for her, and her pent-up anger and disappointment lead to a drastic act, which at the same time does not conflict with the film´s reserved tenor.
(Aki Beckmann)
Un peu beaucoup
2003
Austria
34 min