Valerie Kaprisky plays "Chris" the 18-year-old daughter of "Claude" (Caroline Cellier, who won a 1985 French Cesar for best supporting actress in the film). The two are summer vacationing at an upscale beach resort in the south of France (while dad works in Paris). Nearby lives longtime family friend, "Vic" (Jacques Perrin). It's all quite beautiful, but we quickly learn everything is not well in this hedonistic enclave of affluence. Through a flashback sequence, it's learned that two years earlier Chris became pregnant by the much-older Vic. She ultimately had an abortion and refused to tell her family who the father was. But the experience has obviously left Chris with emotional scars and left Vic very nervous. A subsequent sting from a jellyfish while swimming also leaves Chris physically scarred, further bruising her ego. Enter "Romain," (Bernard Giraudeau) a local Don Juan (and part time pimp) who makes a play for Chris' 39-year-old mom, Claude. Their burgeoning affair obviously bothers Chris. She scornfully tells Claude she's past her time (i.e.: too old for this game). While Chris' response to mom's illicit romance is not surprising, her true underlying motivations seem a little murky. There are hints that Chris has known Romain for some time as she tries in vain to seduce him away from mom. Perhaps Chris really is jealous, wanting to have Romain for herself, or perhaps she mostly just wants to separate Romain from her mom out of loyalty to her dad. Regardless, it becomes evident that the jellyfish isn't the only character in this soap opera with potentially stinging tentacles. As Chris encounters disappointment, her escapades become more manipulative. She now wants only to "win," no matter what that entails or who gets hurt. For a while that means forever taunting Vic and briefly taking her aggressions out on a vacationing German couple. But the climax comes only after dad's belated arrival to join the family. This development affords Chris the opportunity to blackmail Romain into taking her on a date (threatening to expose the illicit affair to dad if Romain refuses). I won't give away the spoiler, but you can guess it's not pretty.
17 Reviews
Not very consistent.
PaulW-717 February 2004
Warning: Spoilers
I did not find this film very satisfactory. The main character in the film (Chris) is very inconsistent, and no explanation is given for this; true Romain fancies her mother and not her, but this does not go near explaining things. Also, and I'll try and avoid a "spoiler" here: it is inconceivable that the event that occurs towards the end of the film would go uninvestigated, as apparently it does in the film.
I wouldn't be surprised to find that the film was originally much longer, and that the edited out bits would explain many of the inconsistencies. If any French speakers out there have read the book and can enlighten me, please do. I would like to think that this film was not just an excuse to get a lot of topless women on screen.
I wouldn't be surprised to find that the film was originally much longer, and that the edited out bits would explain many of the inconsistencies. If any French speakers out there have read the book and can enlighten me, please do. I would like to think that this film was not just an excuse to get a lot of topless women on screen.
Mom vs. Daughter with jellyfish and the ColecoVision in tow.
BlackJack_B15 May 2021
Warning: Spoilers
You've go to love a movie in which the ColecoVision makes a cameo appearance. At one point, a teenage boy and later Chris (Valerie Kaprisky) are playing Zaxxon on the ColecoVision. The game was priced at what equates to $133 U. S. today but was worth every penny. One of the many memorable scenes in this drama. Actually, others might have a differing opinion of Year of the Jellyfish due to the sheer amount of skin exposed. It was shown here in Quebec on Saturday nights as part of TQS' Bleu Nuit.
Christopher Frank, who directed the movie version of his own novel, tells us the story of Chris and her mother Claude (Caroline Cellier) competing for the same man while on vacation in the French Riviera. They both like Romain Kalides (Bernard Girardeau) who pimps ladies to wealthy men looking for pleasure. Chris also fools around with Vic (Jacques Perrin) a well-to-do married man who looks facially like Alan Alda and has a threesome with another vacationing couple but it's Romain that she wants. When it's obvious that her mother is going to win this contest, well...
Visually, there's nothing to complain about as the cast is attractive and the acting is good. Cellier won the Best Supporting Actress Cesar Award for her performance as a nubile cougar. However, this movie is all Kaprisky. At one point, Chris sits on the bed in her birthday suit and wants to watch music videos and shake her head to the rhythm. Vic then sits next to her and turns off the T. V. in hopes of having a "philosophical discussion" with her. This causes Chris to go into a violent rage over not being allowed to have her fun and Vic agrees to bed her at her own leisure. She then calms down, turns the T. V. back on again and resumes dancing in a sitting position to the rhythm while Vic can only watch and wait.
Can't say the direction was very good. Frank certainly was a paint-by-numbers director and it shows. Seems like he just wants to shock the audience or appease teenage boys than tell a coherent story. Also, many scenes elicited unintentional laughs for me.
Regardless, this is entertaining melodrama for the most part. Not Citizen Kane or Django Unchained, mind you, but good for a slow winter's night. The temperature will definitely rise when Valerie shakes her moneymaker.
Christopher Frank, who directed the movie version of his own novel, tells us the story of Chris and her mother Claude (Caroline Cellier) competing for the same man while on vacation in the French Riviera. They both like Romain Kalides (Bernard Girardeau) who pimps ladies to wealthy men looking for pleasure. Chris also fools around with Vic (Jacques Perrin) a well-to-do married man who looks facially like Alan Alda and has a threesome with another vacationing couple but it's Romain that she wants. When it's obvious that her mother is going to win this contest, well...
Visually, there's nothing to complain about as the cast is attractive and the acting is good. Cellier won the Best Supporting Actress Cesar Award for her performance as a nubile cougar. However, this movie is all Kaprisky. At one point, Chris sits on the bed in her birthday suit and wants to watch music videos and shake her head to the rhythm. Vic then sits next to her and turns off the T. V. in hopes of having a "philosophical discussion" with her. This causes Chris to go into a violent rage over not being allowed to have her fun and Vic agrees to bed her at her own leisure. She then calms down, turns the T. V. back on again and resumes dancing in a sitting position to the rhythm while Vic can only watch and wait.
Can't say the direction was very good. Frank certainly was a paint-by-numbers director and it shows. Seems like he just wants to shock the audience or appease teenage boys than tell a coherent story. Also, many scenes elicited unintentional laughs for me.
Regardless, this is entertaining melodrama for the most part. Not Citizen Kane or Django Unchained, mind you, but good for a slow winter's night. The temperature will definitely rise when Valerie shakes her moneymaker.
Pretty alright
lazarillo27 August 2004
This is only a passable thriller I guess, but I found it interesting for several reasons. First, it is surprisingly trashy and unpretentious for a French movie. While the Italians and the Spanish have made tons of movies like this, the French have always seemed more hesitant to make flat-out genre or exploitation movies without a lot of high-art pretensions. This film is a trashy "lethal Lolita"-type flick along the lines of "Pretty Poison" or "The Crush" (or Italian equivalents like "Peccati di gioventu"). The cinematography, however, is quite impressive--up to the high French standards of arthouse films like "Pauline on the Beach" or "One Wild Moment". It helps that, like those movies, it was filmed in a cinematographer's paradise, the south of France. And, of course, it also features the very, um, photogenic Valerie Kaprisky (who is usually topless and often completely nude) as the lethal Lolita. Kaprisky was in some pretty interesting French movies like this and "La Femme Publique" before she was no doubt black-balled for appearing in the horrible Hollywood remake of "Breathless" with Richard Gere. This one is pretty hard to find, but is definitely worth looking for.
Tedious, Sometimes Insufferable
yeahwoahwoahyeah31 October 2022
A tedious, drawn out film about rich French people lounging on the beach, screwing each other and playing social power games.
Main character is a narcissistic teenage girl who likes to manipulate and seduce people.
None of the characters are likeable and are hardly relatable. They are all vapid and sometimes despicable. That is probably the point of the film, but it is difficult to suspend your disbelief when you can't relate to a single character in the film.
The movie did not need to be two hours long. There is probably a combined total 30+ minutes of close-up shots of the lead actress just staring past the camera.
The only redeemable parts about the film are that it does a good job of immersing the viewer in the setting, is sometimes sexy and has good cinematography and editing.
Main character is a narcissistic teenage girl who likes to manipulate and seduce people.
None of the characters are likeable and are hardly relatable. They are all vapid and sometimes despicable. That is probably the point of the film, but it is difficult to suspend your disbelief when you can't relate to a single character in the film.
The movie did not need to be two hours long. There is probably a combined total 30+ minutes of close-up shots of the lead actress just staring past the camera.
The only redeemable parts about the film are that it does a good job of immersing the viewer in the setting, is sometimes sexy and has good cinematography and editing.
Deliriously bad
Maciste_Brother17 May 2019
Almost every review for this film asks: is this just an excuse to show beautiful topless women? If everyone keeps asking that it's because it is an excuse to show topless women. The only dramatic tension in this soufflé is while Valerie take her top or not? After a while this disappears since she's always topless for most of the film. The story is risible. The mother basically smokes and drinks throughout the movie (and takes her top off as well). The dramatic denouement at the end (don't worry, I won't spoil it) is so underwhelming and filmed in an uninspired manner that you only then realize that the filmmakers were truly only interested in showing topless women. They were too lazy to come up with something else. I like Valerie Kaprisky. There's something bold about her (she's clearly allergic to clothes) but when she has clothes on, one sorta has a hard time noticing her. It's then that one realizes she's ordinary.
Classic French total crap !
jeanmathieu-2568726 June 2022
The only reason I give this movie 3 stars is that the filmography is pretty nice and the main star is gorgeous. But story wise,this is an excellent exemple of why many French films have a reputation of being extremely boring and going nowhere fast.
This is a fine demonstration of this .
Crap.
This is a fine demonstration of this .
Crap.
Venomous
jfurioli_20007 July 2006
Not for everyone: one could almost dismiss it as a soft sexploitation movie from the eighties. But no.
This is about an obsessive little girl who is turning into a woman. The characters around her are here to reflect the wicked light she is shining, and emphasize facets of her personality, as she is wrecking havoc around her.
It is all then about the sexual desires of women and men. How they cheat. Whom they love. What it is that they want. What they would do to get it. Only one character is "not normal " in this movie, and this is the scary part: all the others could be us to some degree.
One flaw in this movie: the voice-over on two occasions. Obviously the director could not find a way could convey the message. Pity. Otherwise, it would have a perfect little venomous movie.
This is about an obsessive little girl who is turning into a woman. The characters around her are here to reflect the wicked light she is shining, and emphasize facets of her personality, as she is wrecking havoc around her.
It is all then about the sexual desires of women and men. How they cheat. Whom they love. What it is that they want. What they would do to get it. Only one character is "not normal " in this movie, and this is the scary part: all the others could be us to some degree.
One flaw in this movie: the voice-over on two occasions. Obviously the director could not find a way could convey the message. Pity. Otherwise, it would have a perfect little venomous movie.
The French Resistance.
bombersflyup9 August 2019
Warning: Spoilers
Year of the Jellyfish is empty and unevoking.
Watchable, but not much of a film. Chris saying she controls her own destiny and Vic is weak, like she's wise or something.. has nothing to do with the fact that's she beautiful and him willing to risk whatever because of it no.. Of course he has no reply and doesn't hate you and if you ask him to see you tomorrow night, he will do that as well.
Watchable, but not much of a film. Chris saying she controls her own destiny and Vic is weak, like she's wise or something.. has nothing to do with the fact that's she beautiful and him willing to risk whatever because of it no.. Of course he has no reply and doesn't hate you and if you ask him to see you tomorrow night, he will do that as well.
Released in North America on NTSC VHS videotape......No DVD Release....
kapriskyfilms10 January 2009
Warning: Spoilers
This film was released on NTSC VHS videotape in North America by CINEMA PLUS Video Distribution in 1985 with the French title..... L'ANNEE DES MEDUSES....It had a small distribution in Quebec and the French speaking areas of Eastern Canada and the northeastern USA....There is no DVD version......It was released in French Language with no English Subtitles.....It is no longer In Print and is rarely seen in French Canadian video stores.....the Ex-Rentals are generally poor quality and and the original tape has often been replaced.....Good luck in finding one with "Good" Picture Quality........It was released with a French language jacket with a drawing of Kaprisky and Giraudeau on the front and 3 phtos of Kaprisky nude on the beach on the back of the jacket..........Directed by Christopher Frank and stars Valérie Kaprisky, Bernard Giraudeau, Caroline Cellier , w/ a very young Emmanuelle Seigner....the run time of the North American release is 1 hour 49 minutes............Contains extensive female beach nudity.........Valerie Kaprisky as a sexy teenager who appears mostly bare-breasted in this erotic thriller set on the French Riviera.........This erotic thriller set in St. Tropez involves an unusual ménage à trois: first there is Claude, a mother approaching 40 who is also approaching a liaison with the second and pivotal figure in the trio; Romain (Bernard Giraudeau), a Don Juan who is not above pimping on occasion and who is also attracted to Claude; and thirdly, the beautiful Chris (Valèrie Kaprisky), Claude's sexually fixated young daughter. As flashbacks show Chris seducing a former lover and symbolism likens her to a jellyfish whose sting can be fatal, the scenario is set for real trouble -- especially since Chris is angered that Romain obviously avoids her and just as obviously will end up as her mother's lover. ........Emmanuelle Seigner also appears in the beach scenes....
Exciting in the 80's, now not so much
dzhaviland-2291612 June 2023
Warning: Spoilers
I think anyone scoring this higher than a 4 is either trying to appear "smart"' or really likes breasts. When I watch French movies like this I always wonder if the French have sex for sex's sake because there is never any real passion. Is it because women bare everything in public other than their actual vaginas(everything around the vagina can basically be seen too) so by the time they get to actual sex they're bored?
Anyhoo... this is the most boring movie with frank nudity I've ever seen. A bunch of world weary people including the teens all trying to have sex with someone yet as I said before, the sex is more boring than watching a 40 year married couple do it in the dark. Plot is nothing. Skip it unless you like to see 20-30 women all with the same body build (5'5" 115 bs) topless and sometimes nude.
Anyhoo... this is the most boring movie with frank nudity I've ever seen. A bunch of world weary people including the teens all trying to have sex with someone yet as I said before, the sex is more boring than watching a 40 year married couple do it in the dark. Plot is nothing. Skip it unless you like to see 20-30 women all with the same body build (5'5" 115 bs) topless and sometimes nude.
Plotless upscale nudie flick
gridoon20241 May 2023
"L'Année Des Méduses" does not contain a shred of plot in its 109 (!) minutes; at the same time, it lacks any interesting characters and/or insights to pick up the slack. That leaves the nudity, which is abundant and spectacular, although even there the filmmakers commit a strategic mistake: by having several characters, including the leads, topless within the first few minutes, they lay all their cards on the table too soon: the viewers have seen it all (literally) and have nothing to look forward to. So even though Valerie Kaprisky and Caroline Cellier are both very attractive and very uninhibited, most of the film, with the possible exception of a couple of scenes involving Barbara Nielsen, is about as erotic as a Wall Street report. And about as boring. * out of 4.
Games of Life and Love
andrabem-19 September 2010
Chris (Valerie Kaprisky) and her mother Claude (Caroline Cellier) are spending their vacation at a beach resort in the Côte d'Azur. Chris is an 18 year old teenager that is searching for her place in the world – she is sensitive, amoral, egocentric, erratic
and to get what she wants she doesn't mind trampling on other people. There's a hidden rivalry between Chris and her mother, Claude. Chris watches Claude and her relationships with a mixed feeling of jealousy and indignation, but the funny thing is that her mother seems not to be aware of what's taking place within Chris's mind. Chris has many relationships – She is sweet and dangerous - Chris takes people, uses them and disposes of them - she destroys them if necessary. But Chris feels also insecure and doesn't really know what she wants and where to go.
The Côte d'Azur of the 80s is very freewheeling. Mother (Claude) and daughter (Chris) sunbathe topless (all the women on the beach do the same), and nudity is no problem at all in "L'Année des Meduses" (The year of the jellyfish). The beautiful Valerie Kaprisky appears frequently naked, but "The year of the jellyfish" is not an exploitation film and the nudity comes naturally - it plays an important part in the environment described by the film. People go to the Côte d'Azur (or any other beach resort) not just to swim, enjoy the scenery or go to discos - they are also looking for something different different love games, new thrills etc...
There's a difference between "The year of the jellyfish" and the similar-themed Italian films of the 70s (perverse/sweet teenage girl). The Italian films (at least those that I've seen), are sexual/romantic (sex and fantasy) and they may be cynical, but many of them are also a bit naive and sentimental. "The year of the jellyfish", on the other hand, is more grim, but it's neither a gray, nor an existentialist film - there's the Côte d'Azur, the girls, the beautiful scenery and the blue sky and the film displays a subtle irony and sense of humor. Besides showing a greater sense of reality there's sometimes a discreet poetry in its images.
Those that are tired of the conventional youth films made nowadays should check out "The year of the jellyfish" – it's a breath of fresh air.
The Côte d'Azur of the 80s is very freewheeling. Mother (Claude) and daughter (Chris) sunbathe topless (all the women on the beach do the same), and nudity is no problem at all in "L'Année des Meduses" (The year of the jellyfish). The beautiful Valerie Kaprisky appears frequently naked, but "The year of the jellyfish" is not an exploitation film and the nudity comes naturally - it plays an important part in the environment described by the film. People go to the Côte d'Azur (or any other beach resort) not just to swim, enjoy the scenery or go to discos - they are also looking for something different different love games, new thrills etc...
There's a difference between "The year of the jellyfish" and the similar-themed Italian films of the 70s (perverse/sweet teenage girl). The Italian films (at least those that I've seen), are sexual/romantic (sex and fantasy) and they may be cynical, but many of them are also a bit naive and sentimental. "The year of the jellyfish", on the other hand, is more grim, but it's neither a gray, nor an existentialist film - there's the Côte d'Azur, the girls, the beautiful scenery and the blue sky and the film displays a subtle irony and sense of humor. Besides showing a greater sense of reality there's sometimes a discreet poetry in its images.
Those that are tired of the conventional youth films made nowadays should check out "The year of the jellyfish" – it's a breath of fresh air.
Think All About Eve via The Bad Seed..
jerieg18 October 2001
..and you will have a good idea of this film. I haven't seen it in years, might have been on Bravo before they went edited and commercial... Anyway, the plot summary doesn't do this film justice. This is an excellent trashy movie about a good little bad girl who does a lot of naked damage for no real reason other than some mommy issues. Truly textbook psych101 stuff but still fun to watch.
Kaprisky & Jelly Fish
caspian197818 September 2004
The motivation for Kaprisky's character (Chris) is as unusual as the use of jelly fish in this movie. The box cover and the reviews for this 1984 sleeper showcase this movie as the sexiest and most controversial film since Last Tango in Paris. Although it has as much, if not more nudity, there is no passion. Year of the Jelly Fish is the story of a young girl, becoming a woman. But there is more to the story. Somewhat of a sex craved youngster, Kaprisky portrays an innocent girl who doesn't want to be innocent. Then again, sex is not her reward. There is an unexplained mom / daughter relationship that has its moments on screen, but overall fails to really explain the struggle between the two characters. The men that these two women share is a struggle in itself. Both characters want to be loved, then again, sometimes all it is is sex that drives them both.
The movie has a series of moments that keep Kaprisky fans watching. The rest of the movie tries to remain serious, but for todays audience, it fails to hold up. All in all, this is a must see for Kaprisky fans. It is one of her best and most "looked for" films in her career.
The movie has a series of moments that keep Kaprisky fans watching. The rest of the movie tries to remain serious, but for todays audience, it fails to hold up. All in all, this is a must see for Kaprisky fans. It is one of her best and most "looked for" films in her career.
This is a story about lost love
Philly17897 August 2005
Warning: Spoilers
Chris is eighteen and summering with her 38 year-old Mom in the south of France. Also spending the summer at the resort is Romain. Two years earlier Chris met and fell in love with Romain. He used her and broke her heart. Now she is a cynical manipulator, with a lesbian lover at school and a middle-aged male friend of her parents, Vic.
The story of how Chris comes to terms with her love for Romain is told through the eyes of several people, including an unseen narrator, and flashbacks.
There are several interesting side stories that help develop the main characters. The setting of the south of France is great. Visually stunning. Also the choice of music is very interesting.
The primary deficiency is some editing problems and the subtitles run off the screen sometimes.
The story of how Chris comes to terms with her love for Romain is told through the eyes of several people, including an unseen narrator, and flashbacks.
There are several interesting side stories that help develop the main characters. The setting of the south of France is great. Visually stunning. Also the choice of music is very interesting.
The primary deficiency is some editing problems and the subtitles run off the screen sometimes.
Touching Emotional
denizdelidolu198731 March 2024
I choose that movie spontaneously. I never heard that movie before and don't know any actor or actress but when I watch I aware that the movie totally touches the emotions about love and relationships belong the family, lovers and humans. On the other hand the time has chosen specifically. Because the side of the sea during the summer love is alive every time. So I love the subject and I started to follow the director's other movies. I believe that I can really find very important character analysis in other movies too. Entirely when you watch that movie just focus on the relationship. Absolutely you will find very unique behaviours. Keep going 👏🏼
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