“Tomboy” Celine Sciamma spins solidarity with the unseen life

"Tomboy" synopsis

During summer vacation, 10-year-old Roll moves to a new city with her family. When he moves to a new place, he calls himself ``Michael'' and succeeds in making the newly acquainted Miza think he is a boy. Eventually, he begins to hang out with Liza even when it's just the two of them, and while he feels conflicted about her liking him as Michael, they grow closer to each other. However, the new school year is coming soon. The end of summer is quickly approaching...

Index

• ``Truffaut's Adolescence'' and the model
• far from determinism
• A story that begins with a scar

``Truffaut's Adolescence'' and the model

"Life isn't easy, it's tough, so it's important that everyone learns to be strong enough to face it. Listen, I'm not telling you to be tough, I'm telling you to be strong." (" Truffaut's Adolescence ")

In Truffaut's Adolescence (1976), which Céline Sciamma declares to be a film that had a great influence on her life, an elementary school teacher played by Jean-François Stevenin gives an impassioned speech to her students: This line can be said to represent François Truffaut's way of thinking about childhood. ``Truffaut's Adolescence'' is a ``free work'' that had a great influence not only on Celine Sciamma but also on Wes Anderson, and today it is a masterpiece of films depicting children.

Unlike the aesthetically beautiful cinematography of `` Portrait of a Lady on Fire '' (2019), which was a huge hit in various countries, the camera work of ``Tomboy'', Celine Sciamma's second directorial film, uses close-up and medium shots. I aim for naturalistic photography and editing that is closer to the subject, with a focus on a combination of the following. As a result, the temperature emitted by the child's skin and even the changes in the temperature of his heart are sensitively conveyed to the viewer. Also, as with ``Truffaut's Adolescence,'' ``Tomboy'' includes records of collaborative work and sessions with children. Regarding directing children, Celine Sciamma says:

“Tomboy” preview

``I thought of her as an actress, to be honest and very accurate about the character's feelings and attitudes. I wanted her to focus on her role and never put me in the role of the thief.'' During the shoot, I'm always talking to her and creating the rhythm of the scene with her. When teaching kids, it's important to build trust and make it into a big The Game. is also important.”*

In the process of co-building characters, Céline Sciamma respects the children as equals by asking them to work as professional actors. At the same time, in order to make the shooting experience feel like The Game, we avoid "ceremonial" scenes as much as possible, such as not deciding the length of the shot in advance and cutting it into small pieces, and shoot with an attitude as if we were enjoying a game with the children. It is said that he did. It is interesting that Celine Sciamma uses the word "thief" here. The word ``thief'' here can be replaced by the word ``exploitation.''

“Tomboy” © Hold-Up Films & Productions/ Lilies Films / Arte France Cinéma 2011

In movies, actors' shadows and portraits are exploited by the camera. If the act of filming itself cannot escape elements of exploitation, how can filmmakers build a flat relationship with their subjects? This is a theme Celine Sciamma asks throughout her filmography. Portrait of a Lady on Fire explores this question directly by depicting the relationship between painter and model. One day, painter Marianne (Noémie Merlant) is confronted by model Héloïse (Adèle Haenel) about something she was unaware of. It was about the existence of the gaze/the gazed, which overturns the artist's control: ``As you look at me, you are looked at by me.''

far from determinism