L'Année du concours
Caroline Swysen
1998 - 75 min - Betacam SP - Couleur - France

Antoine, Sandra, Hugo, Céline and Mathilde are in "Khâgne Classique" (preparation classes) at the Lycée Henri IV in Paris. They are preparing for the competitive entrance exams for the École normale supérieure, in the footsteps of Jaurès, Blum, Sartre, Bergson, Pompidou... They are 20 years old.
The film follows them for one year, through the challenge they have set for themselves. They talk of their doubts, hesitations, isolation and discipline, as well as their illusions in the hands of a system they both revere and criticize.
As the months go by and the exams approach, the documentary grasps their contradictions as they face the stakes that they believe can change their lives, their very identities.