Guidelines

Guidelines (La marche à suivre) explores the world of adolescence through a series of tableaux that illustrate the occasionally trying existence of young people at a rural secondary school. During closed-door meetings, the teens interact with various authority figures whose job it is to “set them straight.” Outside classroom hours, though, they regain control of their world, the natural surroundings becoming a playground where they can test the limits of their temporary freedom. A work of patient observation relying mostly on uninterrupted long takes, Guidelines emphasizes the contrasts between the regulated environment of the classroom and the beckoning freedom of the great outdoors, gradually revealing the interior drama of adolescence, with its shifts from fragility to reckless abandon. The result is an original yet universal portrayal of a sometimes overwhelming life journey that we all take.