THE “WORLD” OPINION – NOT TO BE MISSED
Studying at the Conservatoire national supérieur d’art dramatique is the promise of learning your craft with renowned teachers and the possibility of forging lasting friendships. In this ultra-competitive environment, it is an unexpected opportunity. In their final year, a handful of student actors choose to direct their classmates. This is the case for Clémence Coullon, who feels like she has things to say right away and is convinced that her class is experiencing something great. What is the end of studies, if not the first blow to the incandescence of youth and its reserve of illusions? To keep a record, this determined student asks filmmaker Valérie Donzelli, who gave a master class on acting a few months earlier, to film the rehearsals for her production ofHamlet.
This documentary project, different in production from the director’s latest feature films (shot with renowned actors and dozens of technicians), offers the possibility of tinkering with something on sight, with the means at hand, in a sort of return to the source. Seeing her speed away on her bike and looking for a lamp that can illuminate the image recalls the ordinary practice of cinema, which, despite everything we are led to believe with red carpets and award ceremonies, calls upon the liveliness of beginnings and the energy of apprentices.
Mirror portrait
There is no doubt that Valérie Donzelli, actress, then director, recognizes herself in Clémence, actress, then director, and takes advantage of this meeting to question this shift in perspectives. “Why choose to go behind?”she asks as if she were asking herself. “Why not take advantage of the stage to play in front of an audience of professionals?” It is up to the viewer to find answers in Clémence’s work… Who else would have cut the tirade? “to be or not to be”killed Hamlet and dared to replace him with a woman, if she had not taken over Shakespeare’s play? Learning to act and ultimately changing one’s destiny towards directing is both a mystery and a transgression, the underbelly of which the film explores.
The most beautiful thing is the modest bond between the two women, which is expressed through a few messages of encouragement and admiration left on their respective answering machines. “And what was I looking for at 25?”asks the filmmaker, touched by the assumed ambivalence of her double, who wants to direct and be watched at the same time.
You have 19.91% of this article left to read. The rest is reserved for subscribers.
Related News :