Le jeune Werther and Virginity end on notes that, at first glance, seem virtually identical. The protagonists, having renounced their true love for some greater virtue, march on stoically as narration hints at some inner trembling. Hannah recounts what a friend told her about “getting used to” a bad marriage, and as Ishmael continues to compulsively stalk his crush, Miren, he remembers musings from The Sorrows of Young Werther. The ironies implied are opposite in nature: Hannah is virtually defined by coldness towards her future husband, and Ishmael is, on the whole, far too carefree and powerful for his self-concept to ring true.
But while Virginity engages directly with romantic notions of sacrifice, Doillon’s film is the more interesting movie for having Ishmael only experience romanticism through surrogates, such as Werther, or his fallen classmate Guillaume. Ishmael’s grief is real—as one classmate complains, he is “getting sentimental”—but the sly dominance with which he is introduced overshadows any attempts to make him a tragic figure. His rejection of Fay renders his own longings somewhat inert, but also makes for an oddly balanced, melancholy portrait. Ishmael observes the incompatibility between his identity and his tragic circumstances unfold right before his eyes. As many characters observe throughout the film, this stuff is sad, but it’s also normal.
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