The French Kissers

The French Kissers is a 2009 French teen film. Its original French title is Les Beaux Gosses, which means "the handsome boys". It was written and directed by Riad Sattouf, marking his film debut. The film follows Hervé (Vincent Lacoste), an average teenage boy who has little luck with finding a girlfriend until the beautiful Aurore (Alice Trémolières) takes a liking to him. Sattouf, a graphic novel writer, was invited to write a script based on an idea from producer Anne-Dominique Toussaint, and he completed the screenplay with Marc Syrigas. Sattouf cast non-professional actors as the film's teenage characters, but he chose to use experienced actors such as Noémie Lvovsky, Irène Jacob, Emmanuelle Devos and Valeria Golino as the adult characters. Filming took place over eight weeks in Gagny and Rennes. The film was released in France on 10 June 2009, and a soundtrack composed by Flairs was released on 8 June 2009. The film was well received by critics, who particularly praised the humour, the acting and the cinematography. It won the 2010 César Award for Best First Feature Film and Lacoste also received a nomination for the César Award for Most Promising Actor. It also won the Prix Jacques Prévert du Scénario for Best Adaptation in 2010.