Cohen Film Collection introduces this French Eurotrash cult classic. Set in Saint Tropez during mid-summer, this darkly biting coming-of-age story is a tale of obsession and sexual desire. A young woman (Valerie Kaprisky) vacations in an upscale beach resort with her mother, where it becomes clear that a layer of secrets and jealousy lay beneath the sundrenched paradise.

For thoughts on Year Of The Jellyfish, please check out our discussion on The Video Attic:

[youtube https://youtu.be/NPSkblYBPOE?t=2648]

Video Quality

Year Of The Jellyfish has been “newly restored” and released by the Cohen Film Collection with a brand new 1080p master in the original aspect ratio. The exact details of the source elements were not readily available, but the presentation is quite striking throughout. The lovely photography which captures the idyllic Saint Tropez beaches sparkles in high definition with natural grain intact and nicely resolved. There is a fantastic amount of detail present with nice textures on the clothing, what little there is, and the new transfer shows off a great amount of depth and enhanced detail. Close-up shots hold up better than the long shots when it comes to the most subtle elements.

There are certain elements of the production design that offer immense clarity. Black levels are deep with no overwhelming amount of black crush or compression artifacts. Some very minor color temperature fluctuations give certain darker scenes a more milky appearance, but for the most part this is not an issue. The contrast is well defined, and there is virtually no print damage to be found outside a few stray specks. The Cohen Film Collection has done a miraculous job with the transfer in a way that should make anyone who decides to pick this release up happy.

Audio Quality

Year Of The Jellyfish is given a DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio track in the original French with forced English subtitles. Not being given an option to turn off the subtitles is one of the few missteps of this release. Otherwise, the track represents this tale in a pretty impressive way sonically. While this story mostly takes place on or beside the water, it does offer some variety when characters go into the casino or other public restaurants. Each setting creates a din of sound that creeps through to provide some excellent ambient details. The gentle waves on the beach are especially lovely. All of the various sounds in the mix seem accurately rendered so that nothing ever feels off.

The dialogue itself comes through crystal clear without being crushed by the sound effects or score. There is not really much in the way of action here, so do not expect any speakers to be pushed to the limits. The memorable music throughout the film brings a very distinct mood to the proceedings that is represented well in the mix. This presentation is free of any hiss or other age-related wear-and-tear. The Cohen Film Collection has done quite a nice job here.

Special Features

Trailer: The minute-long trailer is provided here.

Final Thoughts

Year Of The Jellyfish has the outward appearance of a sleazy sexploitation film, but the straightforward, mature handling of the material actually reveals a compelling psychological study of a young woman who is testing boundaries. The performance from young Valerie Kaprisky is very effective as she rarely plays the character in extremes. The Cohen Film Collection has released a Blu-Ray featuring a strong A/V presentation, but not much at all in the way of special features. If you are open to a film with copious amounts of nudity that is mostly justified by the engaging plot, give this one a shot. Recommended

Year Of The Jellyfish is currently available to purchase on Blu-Ray and Digital.

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Cohen Media Group and Kino Lorber have supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.