Honey Cigar (Kamir Aïnouz, 2020)

by Elena Lazic

When we first meet the beautiful Selma (Zoé Adjani), she is passing an oral exam for a prestigious economics school in Paris. Outside, she immediately sets her sights on a beautiful male student, and their brief chat is unapologetically horny. Later on, during what appears to be one of those tedious compulsory dinners with family friends that young adults should never be subjected to, Selma shrugs and agrees to the offer from the family’s son to share a kiss, just to see what it will feel like. We expect things to go smoothly for her, and the film to be yet another tale of uninhibited, fearless self-discovery, a coming-of-age without resistance. It is interesting to see how and why this does not happen.