Pauline at the Beach

Pauline at the Beach (Pauline à la plage, 1983) is a sharp, sun-lit romantic comedy by Éric Rohmer — watch it online on iFILM. Set on the Normandy coast at the tail end of summer, the film follows fifteen-year-old Pauline and her recently divorced cousin Marion through a tangle of holiday flirtations and small deceits.

Marion falls for the writer Henri while brushing off the devoted Pierre, who has been in love with her for years. Pauline, younger by a decade, finds herself drawn to the carefree Sylvain. The adults in the group talk endlessly about love, bend the truth to protect themselves, and construct elaborate justifications for choices that are plainly selfish — while Pauline watches it all with a clarity none of them can manage.

The fifth entry in Rohmer's "Comedies and Proverbs" cycle, the film took the Silver Bear for Best Director at the 1983 Berlin International Film Festival. Rohmer never lectures; he just lets people reveal themselves through conversation, and the result is both funny and quietly devastating. Stream Pauline at the Beach (1983) online on iFILM.