La Gradiva

A school trip to Pompeii becomes an intoxicating journey into desire, jealousy and teenage freedom in this sensuous coming-of-age drama.A group of French school students’ heads to Naples to explore Pompeii and the ruins left behind by Mount Vesuvius.

As they explore the extraordinary remains of the petrified city, they begin to experience their adolescence with a new intensity.

Friendships shift, rivalries appear and one by one the teenagers become caught up in desire, anger and the thrill of doing things they probably shouldn’t.Photographer-filmmaker Marine Atlan makes an impressive feature debut, using a city frozen in time as a poignant backdrop to this snapshot of lives in transition.

Beautifully shot and performed with such naturalism you feel you’re eavesdropping on the most private of moments, the film takes its name from an ancient sculpture long associated with passion, fantasy and obsession.

Atlan brings that sense of fascination to a dreamlike, visually rich portrait of youth - where emotions run wild, friendship feels absolute, and a school trip can seem like the most important thing in the world.