Twiggy

Sarah (Christa Theret) seems to have the world at her feet. She's young, bright, pretty, free spirited yet hard working, with a real passion for life. Then, in just one day, she loses her job, is told she will have to move out of her apartment, and discovers she is seven months pregnant.

Looking at the slender Theret, viewers may boggle at this notion, but such cases certainly occur in real life. Sarah is more boggled than anybody. At first she rebels against it, demanding impossible solutions. Then she does her best to ignore it. All the support she is offered - health care, counselling, a room in a specialist hostel for young mothers-to-be - seems to make things harder, not easier. Whilst she is not unaware that others face much tougher circumstances than she does, this awareness does little to reduce the pressure.

Refreshingly honest and unconventional, the clumsily-titled Twiggy (from the more evocative French La Brindille) takes a bold look at what happens to young women who don't want to fit into the standard narratives life offers them. Sarah is determined from the start that she will give up her baby for adoption. She wants to travel the world. She wants to live her life. She didn't choose to be in this situation. But will she break at the last minute when she sets eyes on her child, and perhaps discover some unanticipated joy? Will she go her own way or will she discover she is more like the women around her than she thought?

Thoughtful without ever feeling heavy-handed, this film manages to address serious issues for young viewers whilst being fun to watch for its own sake. Theret is perfect in the central role, moving back and forth between breezy happiness, sullen withdrawal and unexpected pain. Even though her behaviour may scandalise some viewers she's likeable throughout. Johan Libéreau is sweet as the young man whom she finds along the way, smitten with yet fearful of her individualism. Twiggy is a little charmer of a film.