Cert 15
93 mins
BBFC advice: Contains one use of very strong language and strong sex references
Arguably the greatest curiosity in cinemas in 2013 has been Ulrich Seidl's Paradise trilogy.
I guess because it is a three-parter, I expected Love, Faith and Hope to be somehow interlinked.
There is a relationship thread which offers a minimal crossover but each could easily standalone.
In fact, the only thing they seem to have strongly in common is that the word 'paradise' is ironic in all three cases.
In this instance, 13-year-old, Melli (Melanie Lenz) - whose mother went alone in search of sex in Kenya in Paradise: Love - is dispatched to 'diet club'.
And, while she is there, we discover that her weight is likely to be down to loneliness and insecurity.
At the club she pals up with Verena (Verena Lehbauer) who lays claim to an exciting life, punctuated with sexual adventures.
Melli, feeling as if she is missing out on something, throws herself at the camp's middle-aged doctor (Joseph Lorenz) who appears to be tormented by temptation.
However, the deeper one looks into Melli's motivation, the more one realises she is in need of a hug from a father-figure rather than anything more.
In my view, this is the most real-to-life of the trio of films.
The scenes in which the children are put through exercise regimes and yet slip off for midnight feasts or fun and games seem entirely plausible.
This is helped by the fact that the cast, particularly Lenz, is so convincing. Her mix of coyness and bravado captures the teenage spirit.
And, while there are uncomfortable moments within Paradise: Hope, I was rather pleased that there were no gratuitous sex scenes this time.
Laughs: none
Jumps: none
Vomit: none
Nudity: none
Overall rating: 6.5/10