Rivière Movie Review

『A Narrative of Growth and Self-Acceptance』

🎥 Film Overview

🎬 Title: Rivière (2023)
🌍 Country: 🇨🇭 Switzerland / 🇫🇷 France
🎞️ Genre: Drama / Romance
⏳ Running Time: 105 min
📢 Director: Hugues Hariche

👩‍💼 Cast: Flavie Delangle – Manon
Sarah Bramms – Karine

🧩 In-Depth Story Exploration (Spoilers)

🏑 Manon: A Duet of Rage and Passion

The central axis of the film revolves around Manon, a 17-year-old girl. Her story is driven by two forces: the absence of her parents and her fierce passion for hockey.

• The Shadow of a Lost Childhood: Manon travels to a mountain village in Switzerland to find her father, who she believes abandoned her. There, she meets his new partner and their child, confirming the pain of emotional abandonment she has long carried. This trauma becomes the source of her uncontrollable anger and defiance.
• Hockey as a Channel for Rage: Manon’s volatile temperament finds its outlet through ice hockey. For her, hockey is more than a sport—it’s a way to release her inner turmoil, to assert her existence, and ultimately to maintain self-control through a kind of mental mantra.

🌟 Crossing Identity: Beyond Gender Boundaries

The most compelling element of 《Rivière》 lies in Manon’s confrontation with gender roles.

• Resistance to “Femininity”: The hockey Manon loves is considered a “boys’ sport” in her small town, while figure skating is deemed suitable for girls. Manon refuses to submit to these conservative norms and fights to play on the boys’ team. Her struggle goes beyond athletic ambition—it is a declaration of her nonconforming identity that rejects traditional social boundaries.
• The Language of the Body: The film uses the body as a vital narrative tool. The uncertain, transforming body of adolescence is tested and pushed to the limit on the ice rink, moving with an almost indestructible intensity. Manon’s body becomes the battlefield between her inner anger and the external rules of society.

🌞 The Mirror of Deficiency and Emotional Kinship

The meeting between Manon and Karine arises from their shared experiences of emotional loss and wandering.

• Karine: Addiction and Inner Pain: Karine, a beautiful figure skater, struggles with painkiller addiction. Beneath her flawless exterior lies a reservoir of emotional pain and self-destructive tendencies.
• Mutual Fragility: Both reject the norms of the outside world—Manon in hockey, Karine in figure skating—forming a shared sense of outsider identity. Manon sees in Karine a mirror that understands her instability, while Karine finds in Manon’s raw passion both solace and redemption.

👩‍❤️‍👩 Temptation, Exploration, and Physical Connection

Their relationship develops gradually, marked by an honest and instinctive exploration of emotion and desire.

• Touch and Comfort: Rather than exchanging complex words, they depend on each other through physical intimacy. For Manon, her relationship with Karine becomes a means to reclaim the emotional stability and affection she lost due to her father’s absence.
• Collision of Emotional Wounds: As their bond deepens, their respective wounds collide. In a key scene, when Karine tries to kiss Manon and she pushes her away, we see Manon’s fear and defense mechanisms regarding love and intimacy. Her unstable personality reveals an unconscious effort to protect herself from emotional vulnerability.

🌹 Crisis and Interdependence

Their relationship embodies both salvation and destruction.

• Manon as the “Savior”: When confronted with Karine’s addiction, Manon seeks to rescue her emotionally and physically. This desire to save Karine mirrors her own longing for control and stability, as well as an attempt to escape from her painful past.
• The Burden of Karine: Karine’s instability and addiction weigh heavily on their relationship. Through her, Manon discovers the true value of life, but Karine’s self-destructive nature simultaneously threatens Manon’s future and dreams.

🧊 Genuine Connection and the Catalyst of Growth

Their relationship is portrayed with profound authenticity. They wound each other, yet they also realize that they need each other within their complex lives.

Their love is not a mere adolescent romance—it becomes a catalyst for growth that reveals what truly obstructs one’s pursuit of life goals, and what is essential to live each day fully. Through her relationship with Karine, Manon confronts her anger and fear, ultimately finding a crucial turning point toward balancing her ambition as an athlete with her personal life.

✨ A Subtle and Honest Coming-of-Age Film

《Rivière》 explores the essence of growth through Manon—a complex, delicate, yet resilient young woman. The director refrains from judging or romanticizing the awkward, instinctive relationships among these adolescents, focusing instead on conveying their aching contradictions and fleeting lightness.

The film merges elements of a sports drama and a queer coming-of-age story, but at its core lies a universal question: “How do painful memories of the past taint every victory in the present?” As Manon learns to reconcile her inner conflict and control her wild instincts, the film paints a poignant portrait of not only ambition and passion but also the inner equilibrium and authenticity required to achieve one’s goals in life.

🎯 Personal Rating

💕 Intimacy Level: ♥♥
⭐ Rating: ★★★★☆