With “Niki”, Céline Sallette marks her debut as a director and is interested in the painter and visual artist Niki de Saint Phalle whose life journey could not be more current. Encounter.
Of Niki de Saint Phalle, director Céline Sallette only knew “some works“, notably the Nanas, these famous sculptures created by the artist. It was by discovering her personal story, the incest of which she was a victim by her father, that the filmmaker “could no longer close my eyes“. With Niki, carried by Charlotte Le Bon, the filmmaker intends to make the link between the destiny of this woman and today’s society.
Before going behind the camera, Celine Sallette has always been an actress. It was by discovering a video of Niki de Saint Phalle that she perceived her feeling of revolt born from a trauma long buried until it came to the surface. “I wanted this film to tell the story of Niki’s transformation“, explains the director.
Céline Sallette understands this transformation since she herself experienced an inner revolution: “I really come from a place of plant femininity, in the sense of inaction, where things are suffered. And that turned into me. At one point in my personal life, I realized that I was at an impasse and that I had to reform myself, to revolutionize myself..”
A fight more current than ever
The film spans ten years of Niki de Saint Phalle’s life. At the heart of the story is her love story with her husband Harry Mathews (John Robinson), her creations as a means of personal fulfillment and the sexual violence she suffered at the hands of her father. The very existence of this project is based on years of liberated words.
“Because other women artists have spoken out, because we come behind Christine Angot, Camille Kouchner, Dorothée Dussy and many others, because waves are breakingrecalls Céline Sallette. I think that before that, this film could not have existed. There is something in his journey that can only be heard now.”
Wild Bunch Charlotte Le Bon and John Robinson in “Niki”.
In Nikiart serves as an outlet but all the works are invisible on screen, they are filmed off-camera. The rights holders refused the use of the artist’s work. The storyline and its focus on incest are not the cause. Céline Sallette was refused even before presenting the script. She’s not the only one. Every other producer who tried to bring his story to the screen had the same difficulty.
Charlotte Le Bon, sensational
For the filmmaker, a solution is essential: focus on the woman. “Basically, not filming the works was a blessing, says Céline Sallette. I understood the refusal, it was like stealing his art and it should not be my place. We had to, with the resources of cinema, the images, the music, the sound, be able to paint Niki’s portrait, transpose her poetry and give back to her.“
She says she came away from this shoot energized rather than drained
In the guise of the painter and visual artist, Charlotte Le Bon delivers a remarkable interpretation. With this role, the actress reconnected with her desire to act, a desire she had lost after several disappointing experiences. But how can you protect an actress when she brings such a difficult story to the screen?
“I showered her with love as much as I couldreplies Céline Sallette. It was very intense but she says she came away from the shoot energized rather than drained. I supported her, accompanied her, admired her. The team on set was small and I used collective intelligence to make this film. All the brains were present to participate, to give their opinion and I think that this also and above all comes through.“
Comments collected by Thomas Desroches, in Paris, October 7, 2024.
Niki by Céline Sallette can be seen at the cinema.
