La Boum was a fantastic film; however, it does have some downsides.

A month ago, I screened the French comedy La Boum, and I fell in love with it right away. If there is anything that most people know about me, it’s that I am a sucker for foreign films. I’ve always liked the idea of learning other languages and cultures. Whether it is through a teacher, an app, or a movie. So, since I have shown an interest in the French language, I chose to watch La Boum because I saw it pop up on my Tumblr (Yes, I still use that).

Now, let’s dive into the summary of what the film is about, but first, I should enlighten you on what the title means in English. La Boum in English means “The Party.”

Claude Pinoteau, may he rest in peace, directed the movie in 1980, and at that time, the main character, Vic (Sophie Marceau), made her first film debut as an actress. I recognized Marceau’s face from the original French LOL (2008) film that was adapted by an American version starring Miley Cyrus as the main character and Demi Moore as her mother in 2012. Most people have seen this movie, and if you haven’t, you should see it, it’s an excellent flick. It’s enough to make you wish that you were back in the early 2010s, rocking a baggy long-sleeved gray-and-black striped sweater with some black skinny jeans and a pair of black Doc Martens.

Anyway, let’s jump into the summary of the film. Vic, between the ages of thirteen and fourteen, is adjusting to her new life at high school. She befriends a girl named Penelope, and the two become close friends. Together, the girls express their love of boys and all of the other cliché chit chat that teenagers talk about when they are young. Vic finds herself crushing on a boy, who goes to her school. Somehow, she manages to convince her strict parents, who are dealing with marital issues, to go to a party that she was invited to by her crush.

When Vic’s parents do permit her to go to the party, of course, there is a scene or a montage where she is seen changing into different outfits because she needs to find the perfect outfit for the get-together. This is the part where it gets offensive. Vic is seen in Chinese garment, if I am not mistaken, and she takes her fingers and puts them at the corner of her eyes, imitating the eyes of Asians. Not only was this scene offensive, but it was very disrespectful to the Asian community. I’m pretty sure that for a long period, Asian people have been criticized, made fun of, and told to alter their mono lids because double lids were better, and no one can see their eyes. However, nowadays, it is more acceptable for white people to have “fox eyes” because it looks exotic or cool. I believe that this is hypocritical, and it kind of is a big slap in the face to the Asian community, who have constantly been shamed for the way their eyes looked.

Another apparel that I would like to discuss is what looks like something a Native American would wear, and Marceau’s character proceeds to pat her mouth repeatedly, mocking ululations of certain tribes who do ululate (the correct term). Some Native Americans do not this gesture or practice, and some of them might even find it a bit insulting and stereotypical that non-Natives still do this today.

I can’t comprehend why Pineoteau or the writers of the film would add such offensive gestures to a movie, where most teenagers who watched La Boum when they were younger, even Marceau herself. Maybe, back then in the eighties, it didn’t seem offensive because it was common for everyone to do it as a joke. But, this still doesn’t excuse the fact that racism occurred in the film. Lastly, another scene that moved me the wrong way was the part where Vic wanted to make her crush jealous because from what I remember, he did something that she did not like. Possibly, it was because he was with another girl. Who knows? In order to make her crush envious, Vic kisses her father at a dance. That scene, in particular, made me entirely uncomfortable as the father was in the movie.

Overall, in general, I enjoyed the film. I thought it was cute that Vic was trying to explore her youth, and I enjoyed the constant theme “Reality” by Richard Sanderson playing consistently throughout the movie, whenever Vic and her crush were in the same vicinity. However, I do not support racism in any shape or form because it’s immoral and should not be excusable.