The River: The Search for Identity of Two Teenage Girls Seeking Freedom

A charming duo of actors

Seventeen-year-old Manon leaves the Swiss mountains in search of her father, who is nowhere to be found. As she makes new connections and discovers her first love, she is determined to follow the path she carved for herself on the ice: to become a professional hockey player.

As the brilliant Flavi Delangle (Skam France, Stella is in Love), Manon forms a fusion duet with Karine, a charming ice skater played by Sarah Brahms (Kiss & Cry). These two shy and mysterious heroines gradually tame each other to finally reveal themselves through an intense relationship.

against the tide

Along with Riviere, filmmaker Hugh Hariche tried to show the difficulties that teenagers face in a world where everything is possible, but where nothing is easy to achieve. Manon is a quiet young woman searching for an identity, trying to train professionally in a predominantly male sport, but refusing to limit herself to society’s norms. A strong and sensitive character, she struggles to find her way, both literally and figuratively.

“Manon and Karine both carry wounds and loneliness that bring them together, but Riviere is not a film about discovering homosexuality.– says the film director. Things unfold naturally as they meet, in the present, without asking questions, letting their bodies and hearts guide them. More than a story of romantic love, this is a story of emancipation, and the friendship between the characters and their strong connection to their bodies is crucial to the narrative.“

By discussing the subject of the body, Hugh Hariche emphasizes the independence of the new generation of adolescents, rejecting categorization in order to better embrace the freedom of gender and sexual orientation.

Places full of memories

Rivière thrives in extreme cold, with beautiful scenes of figure skating and intense ice hockey games. The plot takes its roots in Belfort, in places familiar to the director since his childhood. Hugh Hariche actually wanted to shoot the film at the ice rink where he played hockey as a child, making it no longer just a simple setting, but a thoughtful place to anchor his characters.

Filmed in Cinemascope format, Rivière adopts a very wide format, typical of epic films, thus enhancing the power of certain scenes. Additionally, it was shot on film to emphasize the ‘frozen in time’ aspect of places like the Belfort Sports Centre. Sometimes Riviere seems to be set in the 1990s, an anachronism chosen by the filmmaker.

Discover the powerful and sensitive Riviera now in cinemas.