Fiston (2014)

Alex has been in love with the beautiful Sandra Valenti since he was five, admiring her from afar and drawing her many times, but never daring to approach her. At 20, while studying at the same university as her, he learns from his mother that they are going to move before the end of the school year, leaving Alex barely a few months to make his move with the girl of his dreams. To overcome his shyness and win Sandra’s heart, Alex searches online for seduction advice and discovers a book written by Antoine Chamoine, a former seduction expert who lives in the south of France, near Aix-en-Provence. Alex decides to go to Antoine’s home for help, especially since Antoine managed to seduce Sandra’s mother, Monica Valenti, twenty years earlier. When Alex arrives, Antoine is initially hostile and tells him to leave. However, after Alex persists and explains that the girl of his dreams is none other than Monica Valenti’s daughter, he manages to convince Antoine to give him a chance. The writer eventually agrees to coach him, but sets some unconventional conditions. First, Antoine asks Alex to clean and restore his old red 1966 Alfa Romeo 2600 Spider. The task seems unrelated to the art of seduction, but Antoine says it is meant to assess Alex’s obedience. Alex carries it out anyway. To assess Alex’s seduction skills, Antoine takes him to a fast-food restaurant and asks him to approach a young woman chosen at random. Poorly prepared and nervous, Alex makes a fool of himself when the girl shoves his head into his plate of fries. At school, he tries to talk to Sandra but cannot, overcome by a powerful urge to vomit because of his anxiety. Antoine continues pushing Alex to go beyond his comfort zone with increasingly bewildering exercises. Among other things, he asks him to observe and try to seduce a bank employee. Trying to follow Antoine’s advice, Alex goes to Sandra’s house during the night intending to cut off a lock of her hair, based on what he thinks is advice from Antoine. But his phone rings at the crucial moment, waking Sandra and forcing Alex to flee. Antoine recommends that Alex change his look to improve his appearance. Alex returns to the bank, but his strange behavior attracts the attention of security, who apprehend him just as he is about to approach the employee and call the police. At the station, Alex explains the real reason for his repeated visits, which had looked like surveillance for a robbery, leaving the police in stitches. Pretending to be Alex’s father, Antoine takes him home. As Alex leaves the police station, he finds Élie, the bank employee, who knows his true intentions. Against all expectations, she does not reject him, and the two spend time together at a village festival. Later, Antoine also takes Alex to a brothel, where he has an experience with Gigi, the mature woman who runs the place. Despite these experiences, Alex still does not feel ready to approach Sandra convincingly. To help him, Antoine gives him a package to open just before approaching Sandra. Inside, Alex finds a vintage-car magazine devoted to Antoine’s Alfa model. Sandra notices it, strikes up a conversation, and tells him that her mother has a similar car that has broken down, giving Alex an opportunity to get closer to Sandra by repairing it. They work on the car together, developing a rapport, and Alex manages to get it running again. Alex reports his progress to Antoine, who advises him to take things to the next level before dumping Sandra. Realizing that Antoine wants to use him to hurt Monica’s daughter, since he cannot get to her mother, who he says “destroyed” him back then, Alex refuses and leaves. Sandra begins opening up to Alex, telling him personal details about her mother, including that her father left before she was born. She shows him a photo in which the face of the man she believes to be her father is missing, as well as a shark-tooth necklace. Alex then realizes that Antoine is Sandra’s father. Monica wants to meet the person who taught her to repair the car. Alex takes her to Antoine’s home. He is not there, but has left a letter for Alex along with the keys to his Alfa. The photo Antoine saw at Sandra’s, this time complete, and what Monica tells him confirm Alex’s intuition. Meanwhile, Antoine speaks with Sandra, who has been waiting outside Alex’s house. He tells her how he sees the young man and asks her to give him a chance, then leaves. When Alex gets home, he finds Sandra in his room, looking at the drawings of her that he has made since kindergarten, as well as the photos taken when he broke into her house. Alex confesses his feelings and, as Sandra embraces him after kissing him, he realizes that he is not really in love with her as he had thought. Sandra leaves, disappointed. Later, Monica takes Sandra to see her father, who has decided to devote himself to writing a new novel, which he titles Fiston. Meanwhile, Alex, having learned valuable lessons about himself and relationships, drives the Alfa Romeo with Élie, the bank employee, with whom he has become a couple.