Anaïs is twelve and bears the weight of the world on her shoulders. She watches her older sister, Elena, whom she both loves and hates. Elena is fifteen and devilishly beautiful. Neither more futile, nor more stupid than her younger sister, she cannot understand that she is merely an object of desire. And, as such, she can only be taken. Or had. Indeed, this is the subject: a girl's loss of virginity. And, that summer, it opens a door to tragedy.
Bold but unrelenting in its depiction of both physical and emotional aggression, Fat Girl will be bracing for those open to its challenges and brutal for those who aren't.
– Geoff Pevere,
Toronto Star,
24 Feb 2003
fresh:
A strange, discomfiting and fascinating film about the horrors of adolescence.
– Manohla Dargis,
L.A. Weekly,
24 Feb 2003
fresh:
It's compelling, honest, poignant, somewhat sad and, at the end, very disturbing -- in short, quite a good movie.
– Rick Groen,
Globe and Mail,
24 Feb 2003
rotten:
This is not one of [Breillat's] better efforts.
– Eric Harrison,
Houston Chronicle,
31 May 2002
fresh:
Anais is not an object of pity or fun. She simply is. And after seeing Fat Girl, we understand her why and how.