A long-overlooked gem of the French New Wave, Paula Delsol’s La dérive bursts with the movement’s spirited rebellion in its bitter satire of the social traps facing an up-and-coming generation of defiant young women. Upon getting ditched on the road by the man for whom she left home, obstinate Jacquie (Jacqueline Vandal) returns to small-town Palavas-les-Flots to reunite with her family, despite exposing herself to local gossip. Refusing to follow in the footsteps of her “mediocre” hausfrau mother and sister, Jacquie trades on her beauty to court several men, including a nebbishy old flame (André Nader), a wealthy playboy (Jean-François Calvé), and his equally wealthy uncle (Lucien Barjon). Through these amorous adventures, Jacqui learns the cost of sacrificing affection for financial security—but will she make the same mistake even after discovering genuine love? One of the New Wave’s few female directors, Delsol makes expert use of location shooting, fast-paced editing, and on-screen text to capture the exhilaration experienced by France’s newly liberated woman while simultaneously critiquing the materialistic culture that encourages her stunted maturity.