Peppermint Soda

Peppermint Soda (Diabolo menthe, 1977) is Diane Kurys' French coming-of-age comedy-drama you can watch online on iFILM. Paris, autumn 1963. Thirteen-year-old Anne heads back from the beach into a new school year of strict teachers and confusing grown-up questions.

Anne and her older sister Frédérique are raised by their divorced mother. Across a single school year, Kurys packs in everything that matters at that age: notes passed in class, fights with friends, a first crush, awkward talk about bodies and politics. Her directing debut plays almost like a diary, with no moralizing and no pity for its young heroines.

The film won the Prix Louis Delluc and grew into a quiet classic of French films about growing up — funny and aching at once. It's for anyone who loves The 400 Blows and patient, observational cinema with no special effects. Stream Peppermint Soda (1977) online on iFILM.