Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.5

Peppermint Soda Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman February 19, 2019

While there may be occasional skirmishes between them now and again, the relationship between sisters documented in the charming if lightweight Peppermint Soda is often of the “you and me against the world” variety rather than any simmering tensions created by sibling rivalry. While I apologize for kind of mixing genre metaphors, in a way I couldn't help but think that this vignette driven enterprise might have been labeled as a “slice of life” or shōnen entry had it been a Japanese anime, with this film's "snippet" driven narrative literally featuring fades to black at several junctures as if to emphasize that we are witnessing mere snippets. That said, Peppermint Soda has a breezy and coherently organic atmosphere even when it’s addressing some potentially provocative material, including a nascent affair between a relatively young girl and a much older man. But there’s a sweetness running through the film, perhaps appropriately given its very title, as the Weber sisters, Anne (Eléonore Klarwein) and Frédérique (Odile Michel) weather the vagaries of maturation, dealing with relationships with men (and/or boys), some pretty awful teachers who tend toward the harridan side of things, and parents who are no longer together (just for good measure). The film perhaps hints at profundities without ever totally “going there”, meaning that the intended emotional impact that co-writer and director Diane Kurys is obviously aiming for may not be fully realized for some.

What’s kind of interesting about Peppermint Soda is how it details the often overamped emotional tenor of many teens while also providing what is clearly a relatively stable life for the Webers. The girls’ parents may indeed be separated, but they’re at least somewhat involved in their kids’ lives, with the girls traveling to spend summers with their father (Michel Puterflam) in Normandy, before returning to Paris, where their mother (Anouk Ferjac) lives, to attend school. It’s 1963, according to an identifying subtitle, but the aspects of the Weber girls’ lives that are documented in the film are timeless in a way, with rites of passage that seem divorced from any particular time period.

Anne is a bit more “interior” and introspective than Frédérique, though she does have a social circle. That said, Anne is clearly underperforming at school and has to rely on certain subterfuges to keep her mother from following up too closely on certain substandard grades. That said, the school itself is really almost a prison camp of sorts, with teachers marching around blowing whistles to keep the errant youths in line. There’s a particularly telling scene where an art teacher holds up a supposed drawing of Bambi that Anne has done, in order to mock it front of the entire class, that seems to sum up the “teaching ethos” of this particular institution.

There’s some sweet interplay between the schoolgirls, though quite a bit of it is offered in almost throwaway moments that are never really developed in any substantial way, as in a frankly hilarious conversation Anne has with two of her classmates who are discussing certain “aspects” of the male anatomy. The misinformation lobbed between the girls is actually kind of astounding, but amiably amusing nonetheless. Balanced against these somewhat humorous (if never totally laugh out loud) moments are some decidedly more serious issues, as the film starts focusing on the growing political awareness of Frédérique, including an element that frankly may not be on the radar of many non-French viewers despite any interest in history, namely the long war of independence Algeria fought to free itself from French rule. (There’s a rather touching vignette showing a little Algerian girl left out on the playground on the first day of school since her name is never called as part of any particular class roster.)

If external forces provide some of the drama in the film, Peppermint Soda really develops its most secure content within the confines of the family, and especially with regard to the sisters. There’s an easy naturalness between the characters that speaks to a family unit that is in fact intact in a very real way, despite the fractures that have accrued between the parents. It’s here that the film may subliminally suggest a kind of disconnect, though, since the Webers are so secure that some may wonder why the sisters feel they need to present such a unified front against whatever obstacle they think they’re facing. While the film offers a few “annoyances”, it’s also arguable that the lack of any major conflict or villainy may keep the narrative from ever seeming like more than a parade of distant memories that Kurys is offering the viewer.

Peppermint Soda Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Peppermint Soda is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Cohen Film Collection with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.67:1. Cohen is touting a new 2K restoration of the film, and the results are commendably organic looking, with a nicely resolved grain field, and solid densities and saturation throughout the presentation. There are a few stylistic flourishes, like montages built out of stills, where grain can expectedly spike just a bit. The film is sweetly colorful, emphasizing some bright primary tones that contrast nicely with more muted pastels. While the 1963 timeframe isn't really emphasized all that much, some elements of the production design offer some mid-century modern fabrics that have interesting patterns which resolve without any problems. The palette may arguably be just a tad cool for some eyes, but it's natural looking nonetheless, with reds popping especially nicely.

Peppermint Soda Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Peppermint Soda features an LPCM 2.0 mono track in the original French (and just for those who care, I could not find any way to remove the English subtitles which are also included with this release). The film doesn't really have an ambitious sound design, but elements like the Cliff Richard tune from Summer Holiday that is utilized sound full bodied and distortion free. The film's dialogue is always rendered cleanly and clearly and ambient environmental effects in the several outdoor sequences also sound natural.

Peppermint Soda Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• An Interview with Director Diane Kurys (480i; 33:10) is an enjoyable sit down with Kurys, who discusses her brief acting career as well as how some of her personal experiences helped inform Peppermint Soda. In French with English subtitles.


• An Interview with Star Eleonore Klarwein (480i; 7:38) is also enjoyable, with a now adult Klarwein documenting a pretty easy matriculation into the ranks of cinema stardom which may rankle those consigned to paying dues. In French with English subtitles.


• A Meeting with Composer Yves Simon (480i; 12:46) offers a bit of a "house concert" with Simon on guitar as well as offering Simon's memories of the project. In French with English subtitles.


• Diane Kurys' Scrapbook (480i; 3:23) is a brief featurette with Kurys displaying some of her "personal memorabilia". In French with English subtitles.


• French Restoration Trailer (1080p; 1:33)


• 2018 Re-Release Trailer (1080p; 1:22)

Peppermint Soda Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

I recently reviewed another Cohen release, in this case a documentary called Spiral, which in part details growing anti-Semitism in France. In a way, I almost wish Peppermint Soda might have used the Webers' Jewish identity to rustle up a bit more tension (there are some passing "issues" that do show up, mostly to do with Frédérique's activist tendencies, but nothing that is overly confrontational or dramatic). As it stands, though, Peppermint Soda has a sweetly amiable quality and it rather smartly addresses issues young girls face on their marches toward womanhood, but the film might have benefitted from a less vignette driven narrative, which in turn might have helped to develop more of an emotional through line. That said, this is a very enjoyable film that should certainly appeal to lovers of smaller scale, intimate character dramas. Technical merits are first rate, and Peppermint Soda comes Recommended.