Diane Kurys's auspicious directorial debut is a sensitive, sharply observed autobiographical account of a year of her early adolescence. Eleonore Klarwein stars as Kurys's fictional alter ego, Anne Weber, who, in the fall of 1963, is living with her divorced mother (Anouk Ferjac) and older sister, Frederique (Odile Michel), in Paris. Anne relies heavily on her sister for clues on how to behave in an increasingly confusing world. Both sisters rebel against the excessively rigid discipline imposed by their lycée, where Anne is unsocial, moody, and an indifferent student. The more outgoing Frederique has begun to test her mother's boundaries by staying out late with her boyfriend, Martine (Valerie Stano). Anne is so involved with her sister's life that when the romance ends, she's hurt as much, if not more, than Frederique. Both girls strongly experience the absence of their father, which is possibly what leads Frederique into a romance with an older man. For her part, Anne is content with cajoling her father (Michel Puterflam) into taking them on trips during vacations despite feeling awkward with him. Through the graceful accretion of a wealth of details, Kurys's perceptive, humorous, and nostalgic film offers rare insight into a young girl's coming of age.