SHORTS PROGRAM - Rendez-Vous 2015EXTRASYSTOLEBlurb descriptions in italics are followed by my comments.
The Smallest Apartment in Paris / Le Plus petit appartement de Paris
Hélèna Villovitch, France, 2014, 15mFrench with English subtitles
Carla and François are forced to share a 16 square meter studio in this whimsical sketch addressing the housing crisis that all urban dwellers are sure to identify with. North American Premiere. This is an amusing and great-looking bright pastel sci-fi fantasy full of satire and humor. A tiny film about a tiny space -- it's very witty. I hope she can sustain such skill and amusement over a longer span.
Back Alley / Le Contre-allée
Cécile Ducrocq, France, 2014, DCP, 29mFrench with English subtitles
A streetwalker since the age of 15, Suzanne finds her livelihood threatened by the arrival of African prostitutes on her turf in this heartbreaking winner of the Small Golden Rail prize at Cannes. Ducrocq gets into a vérité feel of her milieu but the storytelling isn't as strong as the atmosphere. Maybe that doesn't matter because we learn more about the life of prostitution than we normally do.
The Space / Espace
Eléonor Gilbert, France, 2014, 14mFrench with English subtitles
A young girl wants to play soccer at recess but schoolyard sexism prevents it. So, with pencil and paper, she charts her grievances, urging her peers to take back the playground. U.S. Premiere. Well, this is just a document of a very talky schoolgirl, perhaps a future social activist. It's interesting to observe how she thinks and expresses herself, but it goes on too long.
Extrasystole
Alice Douard, France, 2013, 35mFrench with English subtitles
When student Raphaëlle, subject to cardiac contractions, meets enigmatic teacher Adèle, it’s not just her condition that makes her heart skip a beat. From the prestigious French film school La Fémis, this is an excellent depiction of the excitement and elitism that surround French university or Grande École education and the snobbism, the sudden attractions, the class infighting. The rumors and mystery surrounding teachers are well portrayed in Adèle and the student Raphaëlle's short period of connection with her and then rejection of her. I was reminded of the hothouse atmosphere depicted (in fuller detail) in Emmanuel Bourdieu's 2006
Poison Friends/Les amitiés maléfiques (NYFF 2006). Cp. also Christophe Honoré's 2008
La Belle Personne.