Two Films, Two Groomings, Two Outcomes
by Pat Frickey

It was a double whammy. On Saturday at Filmfest Hamburg (FF HH) I watched NOÉMIE SAYS YES and on Sunday PALM TREES AND POWER LINES. Walking out of the second film I overheard a fellow journalist query, “Didn’t I just see that same film yesterday?” Not precisely. The setting and characters and languages are different. NOÉMIE SAYS YES is set in Montreal, in French with English subtitles. PALM TREES AND POWER LINES is in small-town coastal California, in English. But he was right. No matter what the language, setting, or what the characters are named, the plot is the same. Two underage girls are groomed by two skillful predators, both girls have their childhoods snuffed out and their futures in tatters.

Grooming: Remember when we were young and learned at our mother’s knee that grooming was something positive: washing and combing your hair, trimming your nails, and brushing your teeth. Today’s parents and youth need to be aware of another kind of grooming: an adult methodically establishing emotional bonds with someone underage to be able to abuse and / or sexually exploit them.

The Filmmakers: The directors, writers, and cinematographers are women. In NOÉMIE SAYS YES Geneviève Albert is the director-writer and Léna Mill-Reuillard is the cinematographer. In PALM TREES AND POWER LINES Jamie Dack is the director-writer, Audrey Findlay the co-writer, and Chananun Chotrungroj the cinematographer.

The Victims: Noémie (Kelly Depeault) is only 15 and has been living a sheltered but restricted life in a youth detention center since she was 12. She dreams of returning to a normal life living with her mother just like any other ordinary young teenager.

Léa (Lily McInerny) is a bored 17-year-old teenager who likes to watch YouTube tutorials on skincare, hang out with her friends, and dally a bit in backseat sex.

The Mothers: Noémie’s mother Edith (Myriam De Bonville) is a weak pathetic creature who is barely hanging on to life. She has a boyfriend now and doesn’t want her daughter around who might mess things up.

Léa’s mother Sandra (Gretchen Mol) is an attractive blonde who sells real estate and spends much of her time flitting from suitor to suitor. She cooks an occasional meal and takes only a vague interest in what Léa is doing.

The Fathers: Absent

The Groomers: Zac (James Edward Métayer) is a cool rapper type, mid-20s, who moves slowly and deliberately, waiting for Noémie to fall in love with him. He is patient, loving, and pays her plenty of compliments as he spins his web.

Tom (Jonathan Tucker) is 34 and, with his cauliflower ear, looks like he has been around the block a few times. He is patient, attentive, and loving as he courts Léa, encouraging her to sing and talk about her dreams.

The Promises: Zac promises Noémie they will buy a camper and take off from Montreal and explore the world together. She just has to be an escort for the Grand Prix weekend. He organizes a hotel room for her.

Tom promises Léa he will look after her so she can move away from her mom and in with him. The only hitch is that she has to be the one to earn the money so he can look after her. He sets her up in a hotel room.

The Results: Human trafficking / prostitution

The Ending: Both Noémie and Léa initially are mortified at what Zac and Tom have manipulated them to do. Both girls flee. Both “sheepishly” return to their groomers. But wait, in the last minutes of one of the films, one girl has the grit to hitchhike her way out of her groomer’s clutches. Or so it seems.