‘A Girl’s Story’ Review: Judith Godrèche’s Assured Feature Debut Tells a Bitter Tale of Sexual Initiation in 1950s France

May 17, 2026 12:52pm PT ‘A Girl’s Story’ Review: Judith Godrèche’s Assured Feature Debut Tells a Bitter Tale of Sexual Initiation in 1950s France

Adapting the novel of the same name by Annie Ernaux, the actress-turned-filmmaker — and face of #MeToo in France — doesn’t shy away from hard truths in a coming-of-age drama featuring a strong performance by newcomer Tess Barthélemy.

By Beatrice Loayza

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Beatrice Loayza

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The resemblance between Judith Godrèche and her daughter Tess Barthélemy — also the luminous lead of her mother’s debut feature “A Girl’s Life” — will be particularly powerful for anyone familiar with Godrèche’s teenage breakthrough role in the 1990 Jacques Doillon drama “The Disenchanted.” Watching the doe-eyed Barthélémy in this assured adaptation of Annie Ernaux’s novel of the same title, one can’t help but draw parallels between this bitter story of sexual initiation and the experiences of Godrèche’s own life, namely the accusations of sexual abuse she lodged against Doillon (and the director Bênoit Jacquot) as well as her standing, today, as one of the most notable champions of France’s #MeToo movement. 

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