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Drama

Student Services

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Nineteen-year-old Laura is stressed by her first year at college when money worries distract her from her studies and so, desperate for cash, she answers an online advertisement for intimate companionship that leads her down a dangerous path.

Release Date : 2010-01-18

Language :ItalianFrench

Adult : false

Status : Released

Production Company : Les Films du Kiosque

Production Country : France

Alternative Titles : Student Services

Cast

Déborah François

Character Name : Laura

Original Name : Déborah François

Gender : Female

Mathieu Demy

Character Name : Benjamin

Original Name : Mathieu Demy

Gender : Male

Alain Cauchi

Character Name : Joe

Original Name : Alain Cauchi

Gender : Male

Benjamin Siksou

Character Name : Manu

Original Name : Benjamin Siksou

Gender : Male

Anna Sigalevitch

Character Name : Fanny

Original Name : Anna Sigalevitch

Gender : Female

Joseph Braconnier

Character Name : Parking customer

Original Name : Joseph Braconnier

Gender : Male

Marc Chapiteau

Character Name : Photograph

Original Name : Marc Chapiteau

Gender : Male

Pascal Bongard

Character Name : Gérard

Original Name : Pascal Bongard

Gender : Male

Lou Bohringer

Character Name : Lou

Original Name : Lou Bohringer

Gender : Male

Édith Le Merdy

Character Name : Social worker

Original Name : Édith Le Merdy

Gender : Female

Fred Epaud

Character Name : Real estate agent

Original Name : Fred Epaud

Gender : Male

Marthe Caufman

Character Name : Elisa

Original Name : Marthe Caufman

Gender : Male

Javier Cruz

Character Name : Berzosa

Original Name : Javier Cruz

Gender : Male

Jicey Carina

Character Name : Spanish teacher

Original Name : Jicey Carina

Gender : Male

Martine Fontaine

Character Name : Baker

Original Name : Martine Fontaine

Gender : Male

Reviews

M

MoHA

@merenabe

2021-06-23

I generally enjoyed this film - based on the 'true/shocking' revelations of a (French) female university student who turned to the world's oldest profession to help finance her way thru school. It is, perhaps, the 'expose' angle of the movie that slants the general tenor of the piece towards a negative vibe - as the viewer is introduced to the story's lead character, Laura, and follows her down a path of personal denigration as she barters her youthful body for some spending cash & millennial trinkets. The 'shock value' of the source book from which the screenplay was derived is based on the (purported) 'epidemic' levels of prostitution engaged in by female college students to make ends meet - so it is not surprising that the director has seemingly gone out of their way to make sure that the sexual 'pay for play' activities of the film's star are not made to look 'enjoyable'. In this, at least, they have managed to succeed! The lead actress, Deborah Francois, IS lovely - in just the right way to provide a vulnerable heroine for the sordid tale... and she sure doesn't appear to like what she's doing in the sexual realm - so much so - that after a while I found the plot to become rather disingenuous and dis-engaging. Despite many scenes where Ms Francois fully reveals her attractive body and participates in sexual congress with a variety of sorta 'flawed' male individuals - there is nothing arousing about any of it. Could the girl be any more 'bored' & repulsed?! It really makes one wonder why her one repeat customer 'Joe' keeps coming back for more... or why she sticks it out for as long as she does. Without treading into the politically/morally dicey territory surrounding the whole issue of prostitution - I felt that this film presents a sort of mono-dimensional and moralistic take on the situation. Some reviewers compare 'Student Services' to the likes of "Pretty Woman" and extol its' virtues for presenting a more 'realistic' portrayal of the disagreeable aspects of prostitution - personally I might suggest that a more relevant comparison could be to the cable TV series "Diary of A Call Girl" based on the 'true' adventures of London escort (AND student!) Belle de Jour. 'Belle' also exhibits a 'conflicted' character in trying to reconcile the two sides of her life in the face of society's general disdain for sex workers - but she, at least, takes 'some' pleasure in her craft, and on occasion even finds her sexual skills to be of 'service' in helping individuals overcome personal problems. Admittedly, the 'clients' that Laura encounters in "Student Services" are portrayed as a particularly loutish lot - but 'where's the love'?! Ultimately I began to sympathize w/ her self loathing and sorta lost interest in the 'story' - such as it was. There are obviously 'bigger issues' of youth poverty and socioeconomic inequality at play - but none of them get meaningfully addressed/answered in this film. On a strictly prurient level - worth a look for the fetching form of Ms Francois in the buff - but nothing to get too excited about.