Created on 3rd of August 2020 (and updated hereafter as much as possible, but you know how it is 😅; the Excel file with all of the below is saved here for the time being.)
This is a master list gathering various interviews etc. with Céline, Adèle and Noémie (and others that were interviewed together with them, or in relation to them and their work), translated by @mlleclaudine, @ladyonfire28 and moi (@thexfridax). I would like to thank and applaud Claudine and Aimée for your massive contribution to the Portrait fandom.
There are so many more of you (@pensoakspaper, @unfumble, @morningmightcomebyaccident, @hedawolf, @empressofkalumina, @bereaving, @tenemos-que-hablar, @rosedelosvientos … to name a few) who keep the fire and conversation around Portrait and C/A/N alive by creating art and content – merci, this is also for you!
@justanotheruntitled04 created a master list of videos/audios with any of the three of them here. More Youtube translations can be found here: @akaiimee.
Aimée’s amazing POALOF DVD commentary master post can be found here. [C’est fini 😥]
***UPDATES***
If you want to find out more about Adèle’s theatre work, check this out.
POALOF podcasts made by @podcastofaladyonfire can be found here.
@scorpio-sky has created a DVDography of Adèle’s work, it’s here.
An inofficial fan-made transcript (French plus English stage direction) of POALOF can be found here, a collaboration 😍 between @pensoakspaper, @mlleclaudine, @ladyonfire28 and @morningmightcomebyaccident.
@page28club provided English subs for Adèle’s anti-racist transfeminist roundtable [troll alert during the Q&As 😡] and Boomerang interview [Césars, Les héros ne meurent jamais, Le Corps Lesbien].
Folks, we have the unofficial English translation of the French POALOF screenplay (Plain Archive) HERE, brought to you by yours truly @mlleclaudine, with support from @tonovember, @morningmightcomebyaccident, @ladyonfire28 and @hedawolf among others.
#MeToo in France: Interview with Marine Turchi (Nov 2020), Mediapart article about Adèle Haenel’s case (paywall; Nov 2019), Mediapart interview with Adèle Haenel (Nov 2019). 💔
@ladyonfire28 wrote her first piece about cinema, choosing Céline Sciamma’s debut film Water Lilies, see here in French or in English.
A CALL FOR SUBMISSION for Portrait fanart can be found here. A joint initiative by @empressofkalumina, @mlleclaudine, @rosedelosvientos and @thexfridax. 🖼️👻🔥 [on hold until further notice]
Interview with Céline Sciamma on ‘Coming of Age, in Life and Film’ (Berlinale Talents, March 2021) via @celinesfiamma
L’Étang review in the NY Times (May 2021)
How Good Filmmaking Brings a Script to Life - Wonderful scene breakdown of Portrait of a Lady on Fire by LFTS / Michael Tucker (May 2021), also highlighting the unofficial English translation of the POALOF screenplay by @mlleclaudine, with support from @tonovember, @morningmightcomebyaccident, @ladyonfire28, and @hedawolf
L’Étang recaps [1], [2], [3] by yours truly, @thexfridax (June, Aug 2021, May 2022)
Weird Céline Sciamma profiles, for good measure [1], [2]
Dee has created another comprehensive blog, this time for Céline’s works and collaborations
A lovely profile of Céline Sciamma via @mlleclaudine
The French Institute UK - Petite Maman Q&A with Céline Sciamma (Feb 2022)
Q&A with Adèle Haenel after a screening of POALOF in Vienna (May 2022)
Weird Adèle Haenel profile [1]
Trial against C.R.: Mediapart reports from the 1st and 2nd day (Dec 2024) translated by @mlleclaudine, pre-trial coverage with more background information - document only available in French [1], after the verdict [1, 2, Mediapart interview and podcast (only ep. 1 available for free)], Mediapart dossier (behind a paywall, see translations above)
I’m happy to add anyone else to this list, too! The more the merrier. 😉
Photo by Foc Kan/WireImage
Somewhat ordered by year of publication and C/A/N/others (as of 3rd of Aug 2020: 78 186 ✨; any further updates will be put at the bottom of each year to make my life easier (=> for those older than 2021):
2024
Adèle Haenel: "Je suis la représentante de cette enfant qui a disparu, que personne n'a protégée" [also see above for Mediapart coverage of the trial from Dec 2024]
2023
Adèle Haenel, itinéraire d’une artiste en lutte
“J’ai décidé de politiser mon arrêt du cinéma” : la lettre d’Adèle Haenel à “Télérama”
Noémie Merlant : Je n'ai jamais cédé
Noémie Merlant, actrice pleine de surprises : “J’ai toujours peur qu’on ne comprenne pas mes blagues”
Noémie Merlant : «On devrait tous être féministes, aussi bien les hommes que les femmes»
"Je la regardais et je revoyais Titanic !" : Noémie Merlant raconte son tournage vertigineux avec Kate Winslet
Tête-à-tête avec Noémie Merlant, grande promesse du cinéma français
2022
Interview with Céline Sciamma: “Alliances are extremely important”
“I’M NOT DOING CINEMA ANYMORE” [Adèle Haenel]
Noémie Merlant : «J'ai longtemps cru qu'il fallait être parfaite, ce qui me verrouillait»
Noémie Merlant : la comédie, “c’est très plaisant et libérateur”
Rokhaya Diallo & Adèle Haenel: Le combat des mots
2021
Céline Sciamma à propos de «Petite Maman»: «Je me cache moins qu’avant dans mes films»
«Le regard d’enfant est un regard perçant» Céline Sciamma, Petite Maman
Céline Sciamma : “Je veux donner du pouvoir politique aux mères”
Céline Sciamma: “Toute ma vie, je me suis demandé comment était ma mère à mon âge”
CÉLINE SCIAMMA | Interview
Céline Sciamma : « Pour une cinéaste, on ne sépare pas la femme de l’artiste »
Director Sciamma ‘It’s a dance with ghosts’
"On est du côté des enfants, de leur regard sur leurs parents": Céline Sciamma à propos de son nouveau film, "Petite Maman"
Reviews on Pétite Maman: [1], [2], [3]
Céline Sciamma : «S’engager rend toujours vulnérable»
Céline Sciamma, réalisatrice de “Petite Maman”: “Sur le tournage, je me demandais, que ferait Miyazaki ?”
Céline Sciamma: “’Petite Maman’” est le parfait film post-pandémie"
Baise-moi et King Kong théorie de Virginie Despentes
Adèle Haenel dans les eaux incestueuses de «L’Etang»
Feu!
«L’expérience offerte par une œuvre d’art devrait être centrale»
Reviews on L’Étang: [1], [2], [3]
Avec «Tár», Noémie Merlant entame son rêve américain
Noémie Merlant : "L'expérience de la salle de cinéma manque terriblement"
Interview / De Sciamma à Mixte : Nina Meurisse, l'actrice de Caen qui a la cote!
2020
CÉLINE SCIAMMA : «DiCaprio est une icône lesbienne. »
Céline Sciamma: inventer une femme pour les raconter toutes
Aïssa Maïga and Adèle Haenel : «Finally there’s something political happening»
Noémie Merlant, l'actrice qui dévergonde le cinéma français, se confie
Noémie Merlant (JUMBO) : "Si je ne fais rien, il faut que je sois dans l'eau"
The making of Shakira with Noémie Merlant
Noémie talks about Jumbo in L’instant cinéma
JUMBO, NOEMIE MERLANT
A Good Man Behind the Scenes
Rising star Noémie Merlant: 'Being a model is terrible. It shouldn't exist’
Noémie Merlant: «Quand ça dérange, ça titille des choses importantes et utiles»
Noémie Merlant: "I remember very well the pride I felt on the red carpet."
Noémie Merlant, in the light
*Noémie Merlant talks about the César*
“The double life of Noémie Merlant”
Jumbo - Interview de Noémie Merlant & Zoé Wittock
Rencontre avec Zoé Wittock et Noémie Merlant sur le film "Jumbo"
Zoé Wittock & Noémie Merlant: Jumbo Instagram Live 28 March 2020
Rencontres confinées : Claire Mathon à propos du film Portrait de la jeune fille en feu - 29 avril
From mourning to resilience, Gisèle Vienne discusses her next creation with Adèle Haenel
***UPDATES below***
Céline Sciamma: "Le militantisme est un moment de grande vulnérabilité"
Céline Sciamma & Annie Ernaux: Sœurs de Combat
Céline Sciamma
Translated interview with Adèle Haenel, heroine of “Portrait of a Lady on Fire”; Translated excerpt from ’“Portrait of a Lady on Fire” - Approaching the True Face* of Adèle Haenel’ [2 in 1]
Haenel gets up and gets out
#4 Adèle Haenel
"Not correctness, but towards raising questions": the gaze of actress Adèle Haenel
“The experience of being alive is not the priority of the government”. Conversation with Gisèle Vienne, Adèle Haenel & Ruth Vega Fernandez
Adèle Haenel
Interview d'Adèle Haenel et Noémie Merlant pour la sortie Portrait de la jeune fille en feu au Royaume-Uni [1, autotranslated]; [2]
Fashion and cinema interview with Noémie Merlant, star of French cinema at the Deauville Film Festival
Rencontre avec Luàna Bajrami, étoile montante
2019
‘We started a culture war‘
Céline Sciamma • Réalisatrice de Portrait de la jeune fille en feu
Céline Sciamma: «Il y a eu un sacrifice de lesbiennes dans toute l'histoire du cinéma»
«Portrait de la jeune fille en feu» : entretien avec Céline Sciamma [1]; Portrait of a Lady on Fire: An Interview With Céline Sciamma [2]
Entretien avec Céline Sciamma : « Je veux juste qu’on arrête d’opposer le point de vue féminin au point de vue universel. »
Céline Sciamma, en feu et en flammes
Céline Sciamma, la femme qui filmait les femmes
Céline Sciamma: «Portrait de la jeune fille en feu» est un film totalement dédié à l’amour»
"Portrait de la jeune fille en feu" : Céline Sciamma et Adèle Haenel s'embrasent
"Portrait de la jeune fille en feu" : rencontre au Méliès de Montreuil
«Je ne viens pas pour servir la soupe» : entretien avec Adèle Haenel
Viennale Star Adèle Haenel: ‘Equality is sexy’
A new politics of love - An interview with Adèle Haenel on 'Portrait of a Lady on Fire'
Adèle Haenel: Figurehead of the new French Film
Adèle Haenel: 'Sex in cinema is usually quite pathetic’
Adèle Haenel (German interview)
Adèle Haenel en rediffusion et Pomme en déconfinement
Exclusive interview with Noémie Merlant and Adèle Haenel, lead actresses in ‘Portrait of a Lady on Fire’
Entretien avec Adèle Haenel et Noémie Merlant
Interview Noémie Merlant et Adèle Haenel : «En tant que comédienne, en tant que femme, il y a beaucoup d’échos.»
Dance of the gazes and female desire
[PORTRAIT] Noémie Merlant : «J’ai progressivement essayé de choisir des rôles féminins qui ont du sens »
Festival de Cannes 2019 : Noémie Merlant, «Quand je m’éteins, je vais voir un film et je re-rêve »
France tv & vous / République, le film interactif avec France.tv lab [Noémie Merlant, Lyna Khoudri]
Rencontre avec Hélène Delmaire, la peintre lilloise du film « Portrait de la jeune fille en feu »
Christel Baras, la directrice de casting qui a découvert Adèle Haenel à 11 ans
***UPDATES below***
Focus Vif, September 26, 2019: Dixit Céline Sciamma
Vertiges de l’amour
Céline Sciamma, le feu sacré & Noémie Merlant, portrait of an actress
CÉLINE SCIAMMA: "Si on me demande ce qu’est le female gaze, pour moi, c’est partager."
Culture : Feux croisés entre Céline Sciamma et Monica Sabolo
Rencontre Céline Sciamma: "Il faut créer les conditions de sa liberté"
Céline Sciamma : «Je voulais faire un voyage dans l’histoire de l’art d’un point de vue féminin»
The female gaze: An interview with Céline Sciamma; Interview with director Céline Sciamma; Sciamma: ‘I want to show images of daily life that are missing’ [3 articles in 1]
Interview : Céline Sciamma «Ils ne savent pas voler, elles, elles savent.»
Love and let love
Céline Sciamma: ‘I love films that hate me!’
Director Céline Sciamma: ‘I try to create new forms of eroticism’
Forgotten women
‘I am a film activist’ - Interview with Céline Sciamma
“On ne s'en laisse plus conter. On écoute ce qu'on ressent.” (Adèle Haenel et Noémie Merlant)
Adèle Haenel : «Le respect pousse à s’investir»
Rencontre avec Adèle Haenel, à l'affiche de trois films à Cannes
Actress Adèle Haenel: The French Revolutionary
Portrait de l’artiste en jeune femme
2018
Adèle Haenel, le jeu sacré
Adèle Haenel : «Il y a toujours matière à rire de soi »
***UPDATES below***
Adèle Haenel : “J’ai grandi avec La Cité de la peur et Les Trois Frères”
Adèle Haenel: «Je fais souvent les choses à l’envers»
2017
Entretien avec Adèle Haenel – Sophie dans 120 battements par minute
No, I’m not made of sugar: Shooting star Adèle Haenel
Génération Slimani
Adèle Haenel et Adèle Exarchopoulos : Orpheline
Adèle Haenel in an interview for 120BPM
***UPDATES below***
Screenplay writer Céline Sciamma: The women behind the big emotions
Un fantôme que l’on décrit avec complaisance est un fantôme qui cesse d’agir 👻
Adèle Haenel. L’émotion brute
‘I have ten years, then I become part of the system’
"120 BPM" à TÊTU : Les acteurs nous ont confié les secrets du tournage
Adèle Haenel in 2017 [3 articles merged]
Quand Adèle (Haenel) rencontre Adèle (Exarchopoulos)
Noémie Merlant & Naomi Amarger: ‘Heaven will wait’
2016
Translated interview with Adèle Haenel [and others] on ‘The Bloom of Yesterday’
Adèle Haenel, l'insaisissable
Le Grand Journal du 23/03 avec Wassim Nasr, Stéphane Gatignon, Adèle Haenel et Marianne Denicourt - CANAL +
MASTERCLASS du 6 oct 2016 - La Fille Inconnue
Dans la tête de Adèle Haenel
Noémie Merlant dans «Le Ciel Attendra »
Chris Kraus about Adèle »Machine Gun« Haenel
***UPDATES below***
André Téchiné et Céline Sciamma: entretien croisé autour de Quand on a 17 ans
Interview : Céline Sciamma
Adèle Haenel, la nouvelle héroïne des frères Dardenne
Adèle Haenel, géante dans Les Ogres
Interview with Adèle Haenel about ‘The Unknown Girl’
Les Ogres. Adèle Haenel: "Ne valorisons pas trop la souffrance"
Adèle Haenel: “Je ne veux pas me résoudre au cynisme”
Adèle Haenel: “And the fight against racism, is that a black thing?”
Adèle Haenel : «La plus grande force de l’homme, c’est le pardon»
Adèle Haenel : “Dire ‘Allez vous faire foutre !’, c'est un peu mon moteur” [Télérama; long version]
Adèle Haenel, comédienne : “Le cinéma blanc et masculin, j'en ai marre” [Télérama; short version]
Noémie Merlant, talent brut
2015
‘Being young means: To refuse’
Une apparition de cinéma [!!!]
Brouiller les pistes [!!!]
Les grandes actrices sont des femmes intelligentes
Une minute sans cligner des yeux
On va te manger
***UPDATES below***
Adèle Haenel, la belle dégenrée 😱
2014
Filming of ‘Girlhood‘
‘Girlhood’ - A meeting with Céline Sciamma
"'Bande de filles' montre des Blacks à l’écran et ça nous rend fières"
Céline Sciamma: «Les grands films libèrent des territoires plutôt qu’ils ne les occupent»
Cannes 2014: Céline Sciamma, fille de bandes
Adèle Haenel : "Je ne pose pas de limite quand j’ai donné ma confiance"
Les verbes d'Adèle: Rencontre avec Adèle Haenel, actrice
Adèle Haenel - Force vive
***UPDATES below***
Course en Tête
Adèle Haenel : “A un moment on commence à tellement se kiffer qu'on fait n'importe quoi”
Adèle Haenel, petit soldat
La belle vie d'Adèle Haenel
Adèle Haenel: « J’aime l’idée que les filles s’endurcissent »
Interview d'Adèle Haenel : "La relation avec un réalisateur fait tout"
Adèle Haenel: cherchez le garçon… manqué !
Adèle Haenel: “On ne me reproche plus de ne pas être assez féminine!”
“Elle a un fort potentiel burlesque”, Adèle Haenel racontée par André Téchiné
“Une super-héroïne sans superpouvoirs”, Adèle Haenel racontée par Thomas Cailley
2013
***UPDATES below***
Adèle Haenel - La belle audacieuse
2012
Adèle Haenel et Nicolas Maury: conversation ciblée sur Avignon
Une journée avec Adèle Haenel
***UPDATES below***
Interview with Céline Sciamma
2011
***UPDATES below***
Tomboy - Interview with Céline Sciamma
Céline Sciamma, quand tourner est un jeu d’enfants
In the spirit of celebrating the original French dialogue of Céline Sciamma's Portrait de la jeune fille en feu, we would like to share with you a fan-made transcript of the film.
This project evolved from a series of tribute posters that featured quotes of the dialogue from the film. That process required that the majority of the film's dialogue be transcribed and so it felt natural to formalize the work of transcription and proofreading into an unofficial transcript of the complete film. We have done our best to capture what we hear, recognizing that the transcript sometimes deviates from the official French closed captions of the French Blu-Ray.
This transcript is not meant to be a screenplay or script. The stage directions, in English, are meant to provide context and clarification of the scenes surrounding the dialogue. They aim to be descriptive, minimal, and to avoid interpretation in order to evoke the reader's experience and memory of watching the film.
We have also tried, where possible, to transcribe from original sources of text, which include:
Céline Sciamma’s English narration of Héloïse running towards the cliff at the European Film Awards.
Ovide's Metamorphoses, an 1806 translation that features the myth of Orpheus as read by Héloïse and a 1768 translation that provided page 28.
Souvenirs de Madame Louise-Élisabeth Vigée-Lebrun, 1835 edition.
And a possible excerpt from the original script regarding the Kitchen scene, as seen on promotional pin backer souvenirs from South Korea.
This transcript was made primarily to help those who are learning French, those who want to study the dialogue of the film, and to express our deep affection for these words. Please please stay tuned to Portrait's official outlets for news regarding the official screenplay and support its release as best you can when it does come out.
I’d like to take this opportunity to especially thank @mlleclaudine, @ladyonfire28, and @morningmightcomebyaccident for embarking on this journey with me, which started in April 2020. It has been an absolute privilege to work with each and every one of you. Y'all are truly wonderful.
Thank you to everyone in our corner of Portrait Nation for continuing to echo the life-changing language of the film and thank you to Céline Sciamma for being a timeless filmmaker, for breaking our hearts, but also for putting it back together better than it was before.
Any tips on how to find Les Drapeaux de Papier with English subs? Or just an SRT file ? I have searched EVERYWHERE and didn’t think it even existed.
Well search no longer my friend! Subs didn’t exist until @justanotheruntitled04 and @ladyonfire28 created them. This was a large undertaking so please make sure to thank them for their kind service ❤️
EASY. @ladyonfire28. she’s smart, kind to everyone who sends her asks (more kind than i could ever be), and she’s french. lol she’s got it all. and i enjoy our conversations. :)
Naissance des pieuvres, un film qui nous plonge dans la dure réalité de l’adolescence
By Aimée B. - Cinéscover, November 20, 2020
In her first feature film released in 2007, Céline Sciamma, also the scriptwriter of the film, tells the story of three fifteen-year-old girls in the discovery and search for their desires, over the course of a summer. While Marie (Pauline Acquart) comes to support her friend Anne (Louise Blachère) at a synchronized swimming event, she notices Floriane (Adèle Haenel), captain of one of the teams present that day, and immediately takes a strong interest in her. But she quickly realizes that the swimmer has a reputation as an easy girl. For her part, Anne, who is self-conscious about her physique, falls in love with François, a water polo player who is dating Floriane.
But make no mistake, this is not just another teen movie like we're far too used to seeing. If, at first glance, the subject seems unoriginal, Céline Sciamma's view of adolescence is very innovative. The way in which she tells of the cruelty of adolescence, of first desires, of first love among young girls, is remarkably accurate. And all this is beautifully accompanied from start to finish by an electro soundtrack, composed by Para One, a friend of the director. As you will see: Even though this film is over thirteen years old today, it remains timeless.
Synchronized swimming, as a symbol of the status of women in society
The first scene of the film sets the tone very quickly: Young teenage swimmers in a locker room putting on their make-up and rehearsing their ballet before going on stage. The choice of this sport is anything but random. Artistic swimming is an almost exclusively female sport since only women can compete in the biggest international competitions. It is also the only sport where athletes are asked to smile, to be beautiful and elegant on the surface while putting in enormous physical effort underwater. This discipline ultimately sums up the expectations of society toward women. They need to perform at a high level while being physically attractive. And if you have an off day, you must not show it at the risk of losing all credibility with others. Right away, we understand that the director wants to address the pressures women feel from adolescence. What we see from the outside does not necessarily reflect the internal struggles.
But even if it’s not a classic teen movie, Céline Sciamma still has fun with the codes and characters of the genre. At first, the three heroines of the film seem to be stereotypes of American high school girls. On the one hand, Marie and Anne, the two friends who could be considered outcasts, the uncool girls. On the other, Floriane, the captain of the swimming team, blonde with blue eyes, very pretty, the one that all the boys want to have, the American cheerleader type. The characters, who at first seem unsympathetic to us, are perhaps not the cruelest in history. And those who are heartbroken may not be the ones who will suffer the most in the end… The young director invites us to see and experience the ups and downs of adolescence through these three different experiences.
The discovery of desire and romantic love
The first topic addressed in Naissance des pieuvres is the discovery and the rise of desire in young teenage girls. The title of the film refers to this phenomenon. So often we talk about having butterflies in our stomachs when we start having feelings for someone, Céline Sciamma sees it more like an octopus that writhes in our bellies with its tentacles.
From the first minutes of the film, we see Marie who, as soon as she sets eyes on Floriane, is immediately fascinated by her. She manages to get closer to her and to attend her swimming workouts with her consent. However, Floriane takes advantage of Marie’s naiveté for her own interests and uses her to go and see François. Marie then feels betrayed, thinking that Floriane is only using her to satisfy her own desires and decides, after a second escapade, to cut ties with her.
This is where the film pivots. Faced with this rejection, Floriane opens up and becomes honest with Marie. She doesn't want to lose the one person who is friendly to her. She confesses to her that she has never had sex with François, or with any boy, and that she is dreading her first time.
A friendship is then created. We discover another facet of Floriane’s personality, one that’s more human, which only reinforces Marie’s attraction to her. It becomes almost obsessive to the point where she collects Floriane’s trash to keep the slightest thing belonging to Floriane.
This love of one girl for another girl is never challenged, or called into question. Throughout the film, we never see Marie doubting her feelings. This was a deliberate act by Céline Sciamma who did not wish to write a coming-out scene to avoid this kind of questioning on Marie's part. Just as she didn't want to show the girls' parents. It was important for the director to focus solely on the journey of these teenage girls without their feeling oppressed or embarrassed by these adults.
Then, we realize that attraction isn’t just one-sided. Floriane also shows signs that the feelings could be mutual. However, coming to terms with them is not as easy for her. If we don't see Marie questioning herself about her sexual orientation, the situation is different for the other girl.
And it is through the character of Floriane that Céline Sciamma will address the sometimes very cruel side of adolescence.
An adolescence increasingly cruel toward young girls
Because adolescence is a rather difficult period to live through for several reasons. Quickly, you go from a child's body to an adult's body. For girls, this transition can be particularly difficult because this new body attracts many looks, sometimes unhealthy ones. And it's these looks that determine the status of each teenager and the experiences that come with it. And in the film, Floriane is unfortunately a victim of this.
Indeed, the swimmer’s situation is a perfect example of the pressure that weighs on the shoulders of many teenage girls. And the idea that at fifteen, it would be normal to be sexualized not only by boys of one’s own age, but also by older men. Several moments in the film evoke this normalization of the toxicity of male behavior towards Floriane and the effects it has on her behavior and thinking.
One scene in particular illustrates this phenomenon. Shortly after confiding in Marie, Floriane tells her about several bad experiences in a scene that is as simple as it is poignant. First of all, she admits that the lifeguard, whom we see a few times earlier in the film, behaves inappropriately with her. She finds it almost normal, and even says that she kissed him, not because she wanted to, but as though she had to follow some sort of customary rule.
Then, she explains that one day, while she was training alone in the pool, a man took the opportunity to show her her erect penis, underwater. But according to her, you shouldn’t complain because seeing a man «with a hard-on like that in the water, it’s flattering». And while Marie replies that «it’s disgusting», Floriane retorts that «that’s life, yeah». This response, almost immediate, seems patently obvious to the young swimmer and resonates strongly in the mind of the spectator who then really realizes the effects of men’s perversity on Floriane.
This scene, and so many others, shows the violence Floriane endures due to her social status. And not only by the direct perpetrators, but also by the people around her, especially the girls who, out of jealousy and/or disgust, don’t wish to get close to her. Girls don't like her, she says. And it’s these judgments that lock Floriane into this alter-ego. Thus, this cruelty, inflicted on Floriane, will also have repercussions for Marie. Two moments in the story are particularly difficult for the latter.
The first scene takes place in a nightclub. And just as Marie thinks Floriane is finally going to kiss her, the blonde turns around to dance with a man twice her age. This rejection is extremely painful for Marie. The second moment comes when Floriane asks Marie to be her first time. Marie, reluctant at first, eventually accepts. This leads to a scene full of sensitivity but also of sadness. On the one hand, Marie accepts this service out of love for Floriane, knowing that she is «preparing» her for her rival François. On the other hand, Floriane, in all her fragility, seems to be going through some kind of painful rite of passage with the person she trusts the most. So we are both saddened and embarrassed to see Floriane forcing herself to have her first sexual experience because of the social pressure she is under, but also almost relieved that it is being done with Marie.
And if Floriane sometimes seemed to play with Marie's feelings, we realize that the reality was quite different. Rather, it’s an inner struggle for the swimmer, caught between the possibility of finally opening up to someone and the fear of judgment from others.
However, Naissance des pieuvres doesn’t expose only the bad sides of this troublesome age, since, unlike Floriane, Marie and Anne manage to free themselves.
An end tinged with hope and bitterness
Although Anne has not been mentioned much so far, she still plays an important role in Céline Sciamma's story. She listens to her desires and quickly follows through with them. And despite her hangups regarding her physique, she confronts them and takes the first step toward François. And that courage will pay off. Unfortunately, not in the way Anne would have thought. François, frustrated at having been rejected by Floriane again, goes to see Anne. The result is a sexual relationship without any real desire, or even consent on Anne’s part. She remains frozen throughout the act. But she will take her revenge when Francis returns to her, at the end of the film. When he admits that he likes her, she spits on him.
Likewise, Marie also follows her feelings. And if for her, too, the story does not end as she perhaps would have liked, she only comes out of it stronger. Indeed, she confesses to Anne that she loves «someone», and even finds the courage to kiss Floriane, which is a liberating act for her. And this, despite Floriane’s final rejection. Because even if the refusal is difficult to accept at the time, you get the feeling that Marie will get through it. We know that first loves often end with broken hearts, it’s a stage in life. But she will have asserted herself in who she is and in what she wants.
In any case, Marie and Anne’s intersecting paths illustrate this great step in adolescence: Learning. Marie and Anne have tasted their passions and as a result of their different experiences, have affirmed their desires.
Unfortunately, this is not the case with Floriane, who is still locked into this image she’s been given. In the last scene, when Anne and Marie meet again, Floriane dances alone in front of the camera, under a sad blue light, isolated from the others. This blue, which is also the color of her top, has often been opposed to the warm colors worn by Marie. Perhaps here again a symbol. Everything seems superficial, her smile, her movements. She plays a role, a performance. She's stuck in this heteronormative perspective and can't seem to get out of it.
It is therefore on this bittersweet note that Céline Sciamma ends her film. And ultimately we would not have wished for another ending, as it sums up the ordeal of adolescence so well. This film is a real success, and it’s rare to see a first feature film so radical in its subject matter while being so clean in its script and direction. We can also thank her for reviving the young Adèle Haenel’s love of acting, which is already bursting onto the screen. At only 28 years old, the director had thus, from her first film, shown a glimpse of her immense talent and vision, which have continued to develop over the years and in her films.
You can find Naissance des pieuvres in replay for free on France.tv’s website until January 14, 2021!
[Please don’t repost this anywhere, in part or in whole. Feel free to reblog, or at least cite your source and provide a link back here. Asking permission would be nice in an ideal world, but I’m a realist - I know far too well how easy it is to appropriate stuff on Tumblr. I would be the first to admit that my translations are not perfect - there are some words and phrases that simply do not drop neatly into an equivalent in English, and I constantly fix typos and make changes or corrections in older posts - but they do take a lot of work and time. Thanks for understanding. - C.]
