Céline Sciamma returns after a Tomboy , for a new film, which this time places his camera in the heart of a Parisian suburb, and observes Marienne (Karidja Touré, fabulous), and his band of girls.
What a pleasure to find Céline Sciamma ! Birth of the girls, especially Tomboy I had a lot marked : the latter, described the search for identity of a little girl, pre-teen, who travestissait as a boy to create a social link, and especially to be closer to a certain girl, a source of unrest and turmoil.
TOMBOY, beyond this premise is already interesting, since advocating watermark a form of sexual liberation – also taken as a standard by the gay community, Céline Sciamma, the director, is affirmed as a true filmmaker.
She came back to basics by building step by step and with precision, a connection between the emotions of her heroine, and the viewer, creating a real suspense that gave even more force to every mood change, every movement, every look, until the inevitable upheaval / final revelation, and that we left on the tile.
A film that was reminiscent of one of Spielberg’s pre 11/09, and more recently one of Kechiche in THE LIFE Of ADELE (winner Of the Palme d’or in 2013, delivered by… S. Spielberg) in his management of the narrative, creating empathy for the characters, and the result is an immersion, an absolute and a suspense that is unbearable, therefore marking.
GIRLS STRIP, takes up this scheme, but goes further.
Already, formally, there has been an evolution. Many more plans are built in line with both the movements of the actresses, the music, the decorations unique to this suburb. A precision in the framing, which indirectly glorifies the whole. Its staging is no longer just an observer, it participates, accompanies it (what, moreover, had not succeeded Dahan with his Grace Of Monaco, seen just before).
It feels like as soon as the intro beautiful of the film. Céline Sciamma we quiet immediately when this-frame is horizontal, which shows one to one of these girls in dress of american football, neither beautiful nor ugly because, in part, hidden, but beautiful women well as teens, happy for the moment because united and free. All on the music all made of tablecloths electro, Light Asylum.
One is in the presence of a history of Women, they will be the subject, it boufferont the screen, it will be strong, they will win, if not in their life film, at least in our consciences and in our hearts.
With this introduction out of the time ends when the girls group together, and happy, go home after extinguishing fires in their field (which corresponds to the fade to black the credits). This time is also important because the arrival in this place also marks the presence of the context. These girls know they are women, have an extraordinary presence, but must respect their environment. At the very moment of their entrance into a city, the silence MUST be made, the group crumbled, the story can begin.
Sciamma , therefore, succeeds then we return to the intimate, Marienne,
and there in the intimacy of a collective unseen cinema, a group of girls, black, banlieusardes,
and there in the intimate life as a woman in a context that is patriarchal.
This is done to both progressively and simultaneously as the narration of the film bring the characters to confront, while at the same time, the context is described with sufficient precision (for details of daily life, emblematic places, but also, in peculiar of the city, rituals typical of the rebellious teen age…) to speak for itself. And this, without forcing it to no line.
The staging of Sciamma manages to be both an observer outside AND contiguous to the depths of its characters. with legibility and effectiveness, natural and progressive manner.
This is due to the precision and the rigour with which the director deals with every technical aspect of the film, as well as his actresses.
It is not at this level of quality interpretation. If they are awesome, it is because it abolished the concept of the game. Is a movie, but Sciamma directs her daughters so that one does not feel this limit. It seeks to capture a energy interpretation. She managed to touch something intimate and perfect in this relationship between women, something that seems indubitably true. Here is another real strength of the staging. To succeed in creating a strong bond between the viewer and the characters in a film after, can you take each of them, or you want to.
At the beginning of the story, Marienne is single, seeks, discovers, finds his identity within a group, says. Marienne is the central character in THE film, since it is absolutely all the plans for the film, but also one who authorizes the transfer of emotion between the film and the viewer : this band of girls would not be just a faraway echo of the real without its presence both observer and actor.
What is fascinating to observe, is the way in which his character, however, cleared at the beginning of the film, appears as the initiator of events.
And then when you think about it in the middle of the film, we realize that this strength of character has always been present, but needed to be catalyzed. This course is linked to the band of girls of the title, and despite the decline in the importance, scénaristiquement speaking, these characters, their role is just as affecting, necessary.
This connection is created little by little through trials, but particularly long moment of discovery, for Marienne, the world and the other. On screen, this translates to girls who zonent, rust, talking of nothing, to participate in “neighbourhood life”, a point of view of teenage girls.
The scene climax, will be this moment where the girls, as in a blue dream, a bubble, untouchable, perform “Diamonds” by Rihanna. Beautiful scene, visually, of course, but also, unforgettable as constituting a moment that will remain as unique, inscribed in time, a rite snapshot of these actresses unforgettable.
”A film is mastered, which was able gradually to create empathy, suspense, and description of a social context, unpublished. A return in force of Girl Power, as well as the affirmation of a director, Céline Sciamma.”
It is during this stage that the connection with the audience happens at its peak, and begins a second phase in the film, that of the history. Gradually still, a narrative that is much more heavy and serious to be built, Marienne about his place in life, his search for identity.
A course of unpredictable starts, since Marienne chooses with freedom its path in the middle of the branches yet multiple, a logical path for her, but unexpected for us.
The opportunity to describe another facet of a universe decidedly rich and complex. Once again the opportunity for Céline Sciamma us dry with his eyesight, because this new universe unpublished (to keep the history intact, I can’t reveal) that Marienne finally chooses could be subject to multiple pictures, and illustrations easy, but Céline Sciamma chooses the anti-spectacular, focusing on the feelings of the Marienne, rather than on any judgment or appreciation.
The occasion also we knock out two or three more times with scenes of incredible delicacy and formal mastery (Marienne and Ishmael, the first “race”, The dance between Marienne and Baby…)
And if unfortunately, this means that the charm that we were conquered must be clear to address a different theme, this proves in any case the talent of storyteller of the director.
In the end, the BAND OF GIRLS is the first masterpiece of this 2014 edition of the Cannes film festival (presented “only” in a Fortnight, go figure why).
It is a film of a rare master which succeeds, through the care taken to create a real connection with his characters, to tell a touching story on an individual journey of a woman, an echo of the place of women in our society.
• Production : Céline Sciamma
• Screenplay : Céline Sciamma
• Main actors : Karidja Touré, Assa Sylla, Lindsay Karamoh, Mariétou Toure, Idrissa Diabate, Djibril Gueye
• Country of origin : France
• Released : October 22, 2014
• Duration : 1h52mn
• Distributor : Pyramide Distribution
• Synopsis : Marienne Meets three other girls with her, decides to grow…