Insight-filled story of one year (1963-64) in the lives of two French sisters, living in Paris with their divorced mother and trying their best to cherish the joy while coping with the pain of growing up. Director Kurys, who dedicated this, her first film, to her own sister "who still hasn't returned my orange sweater," obviously knows whereof she speaks, since the character's ages correspond to her own growing up years. Nevertheless, the actual time period doesn't become clear until late in the movie, and the characters and incidents are certainly universal.

As the older sister, Odile Michel is lovely, and does a capable job with her role. The gem in this movie, though, is Eleanore Klarwein, who is captivating as the younger, more sensitive sibling who doesn't yet understand all that is going on around her, but struggles onward to meet each day nonetheless.

There is of course nothing new about autobiographical Art whether it comes in the form of a play (The Glass Menagerie),a novel (Other Voices, Other Rooms) or a film (Le Grand Chemin) and Diane Kurys has devoted more time than most to her childhood and adolescence and arguably mined it more successfully than most. Diabolo Menthe was the very first of her memoirs and it may be significant that the year it appeared, 1977, was the year she made the last of thirteen films as an actress (so far she has directed twelve films). She followed with Molotov Cocktail which I've yet to see, Coup de foudre, which dealt mainly with her mother, and La Baule-les-Pins, which continued the story of the two sisters, Frederique and Anne. Both Coup de foudre and La Baule-les-Pins were excellent so I tended to expect a lot from Diabolo Menthe and whilst it failed - at least for me - to match the high standards of Coup de foudre and La Baule-les-Pins it remains a remarkable achievement with a fine central performance and first-rate supporting actors. In a perfect world all four titles would be issued in a boxed set with a down side of drawing more attention to the fact that in each case the principles are played by different performers, something that although clear is not so glaring when the films are spaced apart as of course they were. Very well worth a look.

As a child from the late 70s, this movie was a famous experience for me in the 80s. I remember that we talked a lot about if in my family. Honestly, even as a boy, i connect easily with the younger Anne: quiet, daring, lost, arguing with the parents, on charge with her sibling (like a battery) and meeting the inner desire.

The family life in Paris in the sixties looks like mine, twenty years later in a provincial town: educational system grinding young students, silly teachers, discipline over all, pocket money, letters, nice clothes... So this movie feels amazingly authentic and in addition, it's told with innocence, kindness and modesty.

But, sadly, this world and this Paris are gone now. Now the benchmark is Ozon Jeune & Jolie in which student girl dreams to become prostitute for sex and money! World has changed for worst but luckily we have still movies like Diabolo Menthe to remember how cool it was.