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Ma Mère (2004)
DIRECTOR: Christophe Honoré
CAST: Louis Garrel; Emma de Caunes; Joana Preiss;Jean-Baptiste Montagut; Philippe Duclos
SYNOPSIS
Pierre is a 17-year-old pious adolescence living with his grandmother. For his summer holidays he goes to join his parents in the Canary Islands, where he will be confronted with the conjugal escapades of a couple who are tearing each other apart and hating each other. Following the sudden death of his father, Pierre is initiated into perversion by Hélène, his mother whom he venerates, and in whom he sees a pure woman who has lived with a repugnant man. Pierre is nevertheless aware that his mother's life is one of debauchery in alcohol and sex.
His mother takes him along with her on her outings, and introduces him to Réa, a seductive young woman, her mistress. The young woman plunges Pierre into orgy and debauchery. He discovers an ecstasy of perdition in which anguish, shame, sexual pleasure, disgust and respect are mingled.
His mother prefers to distance herself. During her absence, Pierre finds love and a certain degree of equilibrium with Hansi, a young woman who has been close to his mother. But Hélène is soon back. Having touched the bottom of the abyss, she leads her son into the realisation of their incestuous fantasy, while kills herself.(from My mother Production Site)
NOTE
Sensual, most expected film
QUOTE
Isabelle Huppert
"Honore au Champ de Bataille", Liberation, January 21, 2004
I didn't read "My Mother". I let myself think of the idea that I'm doing a role: a film about the addiction, a woman's love about her child. (read original in French)
Christophe Honoré
"Freres de Sang", from Préférence, March/April, 2004
Something is impossible to say about Isabelle Huppert, who lands on the stage with no her filmography. But the power of those great actors is not to be aware of it. She never tries to impose of what it comes from. In the film, she is astonishing: it's competely Isabelle Huppert she reinvests, for example, a territory of sensuality she has abandoned a little. She is on the same level with the character, and never doubt to put it on in distance. She has this force, which came to her, maybe from her recent works at theater, from understanding a text - and here is Bataille's - and from not looking for the psychology of the character. (read original in French)
Paulo Branco
"La consummation des films est trop rapide", Liberation, April 21, 2004
The production is no more difficult than twenty years before, on the contrary. The financial sources are multiplied. But those sources wish to irrigate the cinema I don't want to do. They ask for family comedies, the large films... they impose a dictatorship of the figures. The "dared" films are more in danger than ever. However, I made the films I want, more and more with difficulty, it is true. For a recent example, I can not explain to myself the unanimous financial refusal to invest on My Mother by Christopher Honore, adapted from George Bataille, with Isabelle Huppert. I only worked with Canal + and very tiny participation of Arte. It is a film I'm proud of and survives. I cannot be caught than Bataille, too much audacious for us.
AWARD
- Taormina International Film Festival, June 14-22, 2004, Italy.
- The 26th Moscow International Film Festival, June 22-24, 2004
- Toronto International Film Festival - World Cinema, September 10-11, 2004
- Chicago Interneational Film Festival - October 19-21,2004
- Lindon International Film Festival - October 31, November 1, 2004
TRIVIA
Someone from Cannes' selection committee assured that film would be projected at Cannes, but backed out at the last minute because of the film's steamy, hard-core content. The producer Paolo Branco complains, which is unusual, with journalists, "The argument was that there were too many French films. But that is absurd because there are eight American films." He also had a dig at supposed tensions between Fremaux and his predecessor and current prexy, Gilles Jacob. "I don't want to be the victim of an internal conflict between the president of the festival and the artistic director in a power game." It's said, Isabelle has also lobbied heavily for the film to get into Cannes. But the artistic director Thierry Fremaux vehemently denied producer Paolo Branco's claims, "We never said it would get a midnight screening because we never wanted the film." (from Variety, April 23, 2004, by Alison James, Staff)
Ma Mere was considered as a scandalous film at Taormina Film Festival, received equally applauds and boons after its screening. (from Taormina Film Festival Offical website)
REVIEW
Honoré au Champ de Bataille, Liberation, January 21, 2004
This is My Mother, her Bataille, Liberaton, May 12, 2004
Scandalous Isabelle arrived Saturday for Ma Mere, La Sicilia, June 16, 2004
Isabelle Shock, La Gazzetta Del Mezzogiorno, June 18, 2004
Huppert, a scandale on purpose, Il Giornale, June 18, 2004
What a scandalous mother, La Nazione, June 18, 2004
Incestous Mother Isabelle Huppert "I do not try scandals", Corriere Della Sera, June 20, 2004
Isabelle Hupert defends Ma Mère, Gazzatta del Sud, June 22, 2004
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