intimate diary of Antonio Fischetti, survivor of “Charlie”

THE “WORLD”’S OPINION – MUST SEE

He is lying on a sofa, in his jeans that he never takes off. But Antonio Fischetti, 64, columnist at Charlie Hebdofilms more of a performance than a psychoanalysis session, in his feature film entitled I don’t want to go there anymore mom. The man who listens to him, seated behind, in a vest and shirt, is none other than Yann Diener: the psychologist took over the column from his colleague Elsa Cayat, columnist for Charlie who died during the terrorist attack of January 7, 2015, with seven other members of the editorial staff of the satirical newspaper – the cartoonists Cabu, Charb, Honoré, Tignous and Wolinski, the economist Bernard Maris, the proofreader Mustapha Ourrad. Although seriously injured, some survived, like Riss, Philippe Lançon, Simon Fieschi – but the latter was found dead in a Paris hotel room on October 17.

In total, the shooting perpetrated by the brothers Chérif and Saïd Kouachi, in retaliation for the publications of caricatures of Mohammed, left 12 dead. Fischetti, for his part, was unable to attend the editorial meeting on January 7, 2015, in the premises on rue Nicolas-Appert, in Paris: he had gone to the funeral of his aunt, his mother’s sister – similarly, Luz, that day, had arrived late, and is also a “survivor”.

Free, poignant essay

As in the children’s song, evocative of fears, to which the title of the film echoes, Fischetti captures his mental whirlwind. All the way home, in his bathtub, his chest and head covered in suds, brandishing the shower head like a tangled Statue of Liberty. We also follow him on his vintage motorcycle, white hair on black leather, traveling around the capital to meet relatives and collaborators (like Riss), or escaping to Brittany so as not to miss Willem. His voice-over reveals his moods, in the manner, he tells us, of Woody Allen or Nanni Moretti. This free essay, poignant and eccentric, comes a long way.

Twenty years ago, Fischetti started a film project on prostitution with Elsa Cayat, who later became a chronicler of Charlie. Relaunching the VHS tape of their first interviews, the director takes us to the beginnings of this story: Fischetti speaks of his childhood, in Saône-et-Loire, in a Catholic environment, and of all these icons of virgins who populated the family home – his parents, « Ritals »he says, like Cavanna (1923-2014), founder of Charlie Hebdoran an Italian grocery store. Then, around the age of 10, Fischetti says he discovered “sexual drawings” of Charliethanks to his sisters who brought back the newspaper. The collision of these images haunts him, Fischetti explains to Elsa Cayat, who does not miss a word, an intense and mischievous look.

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