FALCON LAKE

Two teenagers develop a close bond when thrown together on a family holiday in Quebec, where they are staying in a cabin by an eerily dark lake in the woods. 16-year-old Chloe (Sara Montpetit) gets morbid adolescent thrills from stories of drownings and hauntings that are part of the local lore. The well-behaved Sebastien (Joseph Engel), 13 – but “nearly 14” - is fascinated by this older and seemingly worldly girl, who sneaks wine and cigarettes, gets asked out to parties by older guys and is sleeping – along with his little brother - in a bunk tantalisingly adjacent to his own. Initially reluctant to hang out with a younger boy, Chloe is drawn to Bastien’s humour, sensitivity and dance moves; the two become inseparable. Actress-turned-director Charlotte LeBon manages the mix of sadness, awkwardness and fun of first love with a sure hand while never losing sight of the story’s tonal melancholy.