Karl Marx once divided the world into the haves and have-nots, but in the world of teenagers one of the main divides — less significant but nonetheless painful — is that of the pretty and unpretty.
In "Naissance des pieuvres" (Japan title: "Mizu no Naka no Tsubomi"), the power dynamics between the two camps shift and change but never go so far as to tip the scales; in the end there's no triumph or glory for the unpretty, and the pretty remain their arrogantly gorgeous selves, albeit with their sheen a little diminished.
Directed by 27-year old Celine Sciamma in an astounding feature debut, "Naissance" is precise, uncluttered and (despite the subject matter) very disciplined. There's nothing extraneous about the visuals or sentimental about the story. The texture of the film has something of legendary Japanese director Yasujiro Ozu and his measured, less-is-more aesthetic — though the content is worlds apart.