The Beautiful Person

The Beautiful Person is a 2008 French teen comedy-drama film directed by Christophe Honoré from a screenplay he co-wrote with Gilles Taurand. It is a modernised adaptation of the 1678 French novel La Princesse de Clèves. Honoré was inspired to make the film after then-French president Nicolas Sarkozy repeatedly criticised the book as irrelevant in regard to modern life. Originally intended as a television film, The Beautiful Person aired on Arte on 12 September 2008, ahead of its theatrical release in France on 17 September. Plot Following the death of her mother, 16-year-old Junie transfers to the school that her cousin Mathias attends. She instantly attracts the attention of several of her new classmates, especially the shy, sensitive Otto. In Italian class, a record of Maria Callas singing Lucia plays, which causes Junie to rush out crying, leaving her belongings behind. The teacher, Nemours, sees a photo of her taken by another student and swipes it. Afterwards, Nemours pursues her, even though she has mixed feelings about it. He is so enamored by her that he breaks off his relationships with Florence Perrin, a teacher, and Marie, a student. Nemours switches seats with Mathias during a field trip. Marie finds a letter left on the seat and it spreads throughout the student body. This letter is a love letter that all of the students think was written by Nemours. Junie, upon reading the letter, becomes very upset, believing that Nemours is in love with somebody else. Mathias goes to Nemours and explains that it was his letter from another boy named Martin and asked him to say that it belonged to the teacher.