How Long Is “Charly”?

An aimless adolescent who hasn't yet found his way in life befriends an outspoken and slightly older prostitute in director Islid Le Besco's frugally plotted but emotionally resonant sophomore feature. Fourteen year-old Nicolas (Kolia Litscher) is an average student who just can't seem to identify with his geriatric foster parents. One day, after discovering a play by Wedekind, the cheerless and solitary boy begins to feel a powerful force swelling somewhere deep inside. Though he has little idea of where life's journeys will take him or what he will become as an adult, Nicolas steals some money and begins hitchhiking his way to the coast - the image of the Belle-lle-en-Mer on the postcard he uses as a bookmark seeming to summon him to the sea. Somewhere along the way, Nicloas becomes stranded and crosses paths with a young prostitute named Charly. Charly isn't much older than Nicolas, yet her identity already seems fairly well established and she never hesitates to speak her mind. Nicolas lacks vision and words, yet Charly seems to have both in abundance; their differences seeming to bring them much closer than their similarities ever could. Now, as these newfound friends begin to rehearse the play, a mysterious writer appears to contribute some original lines of dialogue. In the course of this creative process, the young boy who once lacked ambition gradually begins to make the transition into adulthood. Much like 2004's Demi-Tariff - Le Besco's first film as a director - Charly is something of a family affair: In addition to his brother Jowan assuming the role of cinematographer, Litscher, the youngest member of the family, steps into the title role.