Like some of Catherine Breillat's other efforts, this film opts for near-shock recognition instead of heartfelt examination of the subject of budding female sexuality, yet offers so many fascinating takes on it that one can't help but find the film original and probing. The strong undercurrent of human comedy lends the feature some variety, instead of being a straight-faced, earnest look at raging hormones, and despite the director's sometimes too-obvious visual parallels and metaphors, the film feels slightly ahead of its time. Charlotte Alexandra gives a bravely unself-conscious performance in the lead role (quite remarkable, considering the compromising positions the director puts her in), conveying both a schoolgirl's innocence and an unflinchingly adult sensuality. The movie, which took 25 years to receive a U.S. showing, is still very graphic in its potent sexual imagery and casual nudity, but time may have made the movie more palatable to modern audiences, especially since the sexual climate has changed since its original 1975 release and since Breillat's other work since has highlighted her strong interest in the sociological effect of male and female sexuality.