It isn't all that great, actually. Really cheesy and very predicable of how certain scenes are gonna turn play out. However, I guess that's the charm of it all, because I would consider this one of my guilty pleasures.

The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

The plot isn't so bad, but the pace of storytelling is too slow which makes people bored. Certain moments are so obvious and unnecessary for the main plot. I would've fast-forwarded those moments if it was an online streaming. The ending looks like implying a sequel, not sure if this movie will get one

The film may be flawed, but its message is not.

I enjoyed this film. I'm not a French speaker, but much preferred the original title to the translation which comes across as trite 'Love at First Fight', when it is a much more subtle film.The film begins in an off-beat manner, but its loose structure works well & the two leads are engaging. It's a romantic drama without being sentimental. I liked how the gender roles were reversed: Arnaud, a young carpenter, is sensitive & physically slight in contrast to the muscular, taciturn Madeleine, who frequently lashes out when frustrated. It reminded me of 'Betty Blue' about two very different people falling in love.Arnaud appears 'weak', timid & a conformist. The film begins with him working for the family business, following his father's death. The suggestion is that he is only too aware of his circumstances & not through choice (doing one's duty, being responsible, living day by day) in contrast to Madeleine who has dropped out of college.The two are brought together by the fight, & Arnaud's clear fascination for the oddball Madeleine.Ironically, it is Arnaud who prospers at the military boot camp (Second Act), where his quiet strength, caring nature & ability to work with others wins the confidence of the officers. Madeleine's brusque superiority & macho attitude alienates others instead. The army is, in fact, a substitute family unit & family sometimes means putting others before oneself.The major turning point in the film occurs when Madeleine lashes out at Arnaud during an orientation exercise (symbolic perhaps as she is losing her bearings) & he storms off & does not retaliate (unlike their first encounter).Lost in the forest, Arnaud reveals himself to be a bit of a quiet rebel , someone who masks his desperation. He has his own life philosophy (contrasting with Madeleine's doom-laden theories) which enables him to survive: that rebelling is pointless because sometimes there is nothing you can do (the coffin he built for his father & bureaucracy, the opening scene). This revelation breaks the ice between Madeleine & him so that she can lower her guard & reveal her emotional side.The off-beat nature of this film is frequently provided by the eccentric behaviour of the anti-heroine Madeleine, like the bizarre present she brings to Arnaud's mother.I liked how the end of the film (like a sci-fi film) drew together themes (Madeleine's belief in an impending Armageddon). It was original & believable.Excellent performances, Kevin Azais (reminiscent of Kevin McKidd in looks) captures both his quiet strength & vulnerability whilst Adele Haenel perhaps has a more challenging role. Madeleine appears 'one-note' but has to reveal inner confusion & insecurity. I thought the final scene was excellent. Madeleine is the one who appears 'shy', her posture says it all, the self-conscious way she stands as if no longer in control of what is happening to her: which is what being in love is. about.

I'm a big fan of French films. It's true I haven't seen many of them, but they all had one thing in common: none of them have disappointed me. No matter if we are talking about a comedy, romance, thriller,... they always manage to provide excellent films. Even when the films are about "topics", which is the case of this film...Summer-Boy-Girl. Sounds familiar right? Not that fast. As a quick recap for this film works, but just for that. You are not going to find here the classical "summer love" story. Weird moments, funny moments, romantic moments, even about-life-reflections moments, the story will keep you engaged from first minute till end. The main two characters are awesome (Madeleine weird-tough-lovely combination rocks). They show up in almost 100% of the scenes, but you never get tired of them. Fantastic work by the main two actors, there was a lot of chemistry between them on film.This film is not only going to give you a 1h30min of good time, it is also going to provide you a feel-good sensation for the rest of the day. So don't hesitate and give a shoot to this film!

Les Combattants (2014) makes an interesting connection. The battle of young adolescents with love and society versus the real, physical battle in the army. The battle is larded with physical craving and inexplicable attraction. What do I feel? Why do I like this girl? Why do I want to make love to that boy? The enemy is in both cases invisible but palpable. Les Combattants shows that the army, in which everything is based on rules and hierarchy, is not natural. People follow a different path.Madeleine is fixated on being fit, on exhaustion. She swims with two roof tiles in a backpack across the bottom of the sea. She wants to join the army for the tough, physical challenges. After the death of his father Arnaud and his brother continue his gardening business. He meets Madeleine for the first time during a wrestling contest at the beach, which is spontaneously organized by the army as promotion. She overpowers him and Arnaud can only free himself by biting her. It is indeed love at first fight.Arnaud follows Madeleine in the army for a trial period. They fight their own battle and end up surviving together in the woods. Building a shelter, catching fish, making fire ... So they really get together and make love. When Madeleine gets sick, Arnaud rescues her. They survive, literally and figuratively speaking. Adele Haenel is an interesting actress. She gets on well with the role as the headstrong, naive young woman Madeleine. Kevin Azais plays also fine as masculine, loyal Arnaud. A coming-of-age film threatens to get bogged down quickly in clichés. Director Thomas Cailley proves in his feature debut, that you can do well on themes that are not original.

Arnaud is going to spend his summer working in the family business of making high quality sheds. Then they get a gig at the house of Madeleine's parents and he sort of falls for her.She is a feisty young woman who is waiting for the apocalypse and just wants to be ready to survive. This also involves her wanting to join the French Army and do all that gruelling training stuff that quite frankly would have me running the other way. The question for Arnaud is how far is he willing to go to win her – apparently ice cold – heart.This is a sort of comedy, as it has a few comedic moments, but what it really is, is an unconventional love story – as Morrissey wrote 'this one is different because it's us' – and as such it should be hard to empathise with them – yet by dint of chemistry it is quite the opposite. There is a vibrancy to the whole thing that sweeps you along with it.This is a warm, amusing film, with great direction and acting and you may even learn a few tips on survival – all in all a recommended watch.