It is a very sensitive subject that is raised in the film Women on the balcony. The synopsis is simple: it is about three women, in an apartment in Marseille, in the middle of a heatwave. Opposite is their mysterious neighbor, the object of all fantasies. However, they will find themselves stuck in a terrifying affair with only one desire: to regain their freedom. An achievement which was made in a humorous tone but Noémie Merlant explains that it was very important. Guest of the show As an aside this Tuesday, December 10, she provided details on this subject. “Humor for me, it was obvious that I had to make a comedy, that I take on this dramatic subject of sexist and sexual violence. she began. Traumas that leave a deep mark.
Noémie Merlant tells a little of her story through this film.
“Traumas that I experienced and that I had to externalize”, she continued, subsequently recalling: “I am not the only one to have lived, there are many of us.” The feature film speaks a lot to the director since, in a certain way, she tells her story. “I actually lived in this apartment with Sandra Codreanu, who plays Nicole, for years,” she confided, later adding that the writing of this film was very important.
Noémie Merlant: “It was important to tell this story”
Trauma can be so significant that it becomes a large part of our daily lives and Noémie Merlant will not say the opposite. “This story was born at home, I suffocated at a moment in my life when I became aware of all these traumas that resurfaced and the impact they had on my life”, she explained. The director claims that she had not made the connection between what she felt and what she had experienced. “The absence of libido, the panic attacks are linked to traumas that I have experienced and
trying to forget by telling myself that it wasn’t so serious after all”, she said, highlighting feelings that can impact many people.
Noémie Merlant used her own experience to make this film. “Suddenly, I went to live with the girls and the story was born from this desire for freedom”, she confided. Like many people when talking about trauma, humor allowed them to free themselves and talk openly about what they were feeling. “It allowed us to listen to each other, to talk. It was important to tell this story,” she assured afterwards. Nathalie Lévy then evokes the attack to which her guest was the victim after working with a photographer. Only 17 years old, young Noémie Merlant has never forgotten.
“I think everyone believes you. Your parents, your fiancé at the time”, she says.
Noémie Merlant: “deep down, it’s not the most important thing for them”
When she was the victim of this attack, Noémie Merlant spoke about it to those close to her but also to the agency with which she worked.
The young woman says she was able to understand their support but there is an important problem: we must not talk about it.
“My parents called the agency. I was 17 and when they found out, they immediately yelled at me but as he was also an important photographer, we told them that it wasn’t a big deal and that I was doing too much. she remembered. Faced with this type of reaction, their only solution was to make themselves heard. However, everyone seemed to think it wasn’t that bad. “I think it’s not a question of believing or not, deep down it’s just that it’s not the most important thing for them,” continues Noémie Merlant.
