Peppermint Soda [Diablo menthe], an autobiographical coming-of-age tale and the debut feature of underrated French director Diane Kurys (Entre nous, Sagan), is an ode to teenage summers, first kisses and first losses set in 1963.

Teenage sisters Anne (Éléonore Klarwein) and Frédérique (Odile Michel) couldn’t be more different: introverted Anne, on the threshold of adolescence, is trying to understand the world around her, while outgoing, politically aware Frédérique is beginning her first love affair. The film charts their relationships with their parents (a Jewish couple who have separated), their friends and each other.

Offering an intricate view of adolescence in 1960s France, Peppermint Soda recalls Francois Truffaut’s The 400 Blows [Les quatre cents coups] and encapsulates the upsurge in liberality during this radical period.

Just ahead of the release, BFI Southbank will be screening the film on Monday 17 July at 6.15pm in NFT3 as part of the Women with a Movie Camera strand that celebrates women’s contribution to film. More details at: https://whatson.bfi.org.uk/Online/peppermintsoda

Peppermint Soda will be released for the first time in the UK in a Dual Format Edition (Blu-ray and DVD) by the BFI on 24 July 2017 at the RRP of £19.99.

Dual format features:

• Presented in High Definition and Standard Definition
• Original theatrical trailer
• Interview with Diane Kurys (2008, 33 mins)
• Scrapbook (2008, 3 mins): Diane Kurys explores her collection of photographs and production materials
• Illustrated booklet with film credits and a new essays by Sophie Mayer and Michael Brooke