“Prodigieuses”: The true story behind the film with Camille Razat

Published on November 18, 2024 at 5:25 p.m.

For their first feature film, “Prodigieuses”, Frédéric and Valentin Potier are interested in the destiny of two twin sisters: Claire and Jeanne Vallois. The latter see their dream of a great career as pianists compromised by a genetic disease. But the sisters will still fight to make a living from their passion. The sister duet performed by Camille Razat (“Emily in Paris”) and Mélanie Robert (“Un si grand soleil”) is inspired by the lives of pianists Audrey and Diane Pleynet.

Audrey and Diane Pleynet began playing the piano as children, encouraged by their father. To perfect their practice, they studied at the National Regional Conservatory of Strasbourg under the direction of Françoise Claustre. They subsequently joined the prestigious music school, Staatliche Musikhochschule in Karlsruhe, Germany.

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Their meteoric rise came to an abrupt halt in adolescence. The sisters are victims of an orphan genetic disease which weakens their bones and ligaments. An obstacle that does not prevent the duo from persevering on the musical path, reinventing themselves and playing simultaneously on two pianos. They return to the importance of their tandem in Nils Tavernier’s documentary, “The Mystery of the Twins”, released in 2009: “Without this complicity which unites us, we would never have succeeded in finding the strength, in drawing within ourselves this energy to overcome difficulties. Really if we hadn’t been twins, I think we would have given up. »

A musical renaissance

They will produce their duettist on the occasion of various events. Particularly live, under the Eiffel Tower for the Telethon, in 2000. They are also in demand internationally by playing a sold-out recital in Tokyo. Their incredible journeys are the subject of a documentary, “Diane & Audrey: tout pour la musique”, directed by Caroline Veslot.

As for the film “Prodigieuses”, the twin sisters participated in the development of the biopic. They shared with the directors the many anecdotes that have marked their musical trajectory. Frédéric and Valentin Potier have transposed the duo’s memories onto the big screen by integrating them into the present day. When watching the film, the sisters were “surprised to see scenes very similar to what they had experienced, and which they had not shared with the directors”, as reported by the media “Naja 21”.