Student Services: A Critical Look at the High Cost of Education
"Student Services," a French drama, delves into the life of a young female college student who resorts to prostitution to fund her education. While the film boasts a compelling lead performance by Déborah François, it ultimately falls short due to a thin script, bland direction, and repetitive plot. This article will explore the film's strengths and weaknesses, its portrayal of student prostitution, and its missed opportunity to critique the high cost of education.
Déborah François's Performance: A Silver Lining
Déborah François shines as the film's sole highlight. Her performance is nuanced, natural, and emotive. She effortlessly portrays the character's complexities and vulnerabilities, captivating the audience with her on-screen presence. François's ability to convey both strength and fragility makes her character relatable, even when her decisions are questionable. The actress became an instant favorite after her appearance in Denis Dercourt's "The Page Turner".
A Weak Script and Underdeveloped Character
Unfortunately, the script fails to support François's strong performance. The protagonist's characterization is rather thin, and her thought processes, motivations, and decisions are often confusing and not well-developed or explained. As she repeats the same mistakes, it becomes hard to root for her. Despite the disturbing situations she finds herself in, it's difficult to care about her due to the script's shortcomings.
Bland Direction and Repetitive Plot
The film suffers from bland direction and stylistic choices, further hindering its impact. The plot is uninspired and repetitive, failing to offer anything new or interesting about its subject matter. The lack of creativity in both direction and plot contributes to the film's overall sense of mediocrity.
The Reality of Student Prostitution
"Student Services" is an adaptation of a fact-based novel by 'Laura D,' a student who apparently went through much of what is depicted in the film. The film attempts to shed light on the realities of student prostitution, revealing that a significant number of French students turn to this path to pay their bills. However, the film's message is somewhat diluted by its other flaws.
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Sex as Currency
The film unflinchingly portrays how sex and nudity become currency in Laura's life, both with her clients and her boyfriend. These scenes are crucial to understanding the character and the film's message. However, the film manages to avoid feeling exploitative, despite the nudity on display. The director, Emmanuelle Bercot, handles the subject matter with sensitivity and intimacy.
A Missed Opportunity to Critique Higher Education
The film could have been a powerful critique of the insane university system. There is a sense that the western world’s post-high school education institutions are underhandedly encouraging bright young girls to sell their bodies to pay for the psychotically expensive rubber stamp schools provide. However, the film doesn’t emphasize the connection between prostitution and the supreme cost of schooling.
The insane university system is a scam, an abomination, a degree mill, a scrapheap with a bright coat of paint, a hive of villainy, and a cesspool of bureaucracy. It is a close-minded, antediluvian prolonging of adolescence masquerading as a zen garden of diversity when in reality the only thing that’s diverse are the literal skin tones because every message from every student group and every professor is all the same, and diversity of thought and freedom of speech really aren’t valued.
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