“Annette” “Variations” deeply connected to the life of Leos Carax *Note! Contains spoilers.

interrupted reverie

"To sing and to make people laugh are ways of revealing yourself to others. And if singing is breathing, then laughter is an accident of breathing." (Leos Carax)

In Leos Carax's films, reverie is interrupted. In " Dirty Blood " (1986), Alex (Denis Lavant) is released onto the street to David Bowie's "Modern Love," but his dance is suddenly interrupted. In the motion capture scene in " Holy Motors, " which can be considered a "variation" of this scene, the protagonist falls spectacularly. It is also good to recall the scene in " Paula X " (1999) where Pierre (Guillaume Depardieu)'s motorcycle falls over. When the motorcycle's light breaks due to the fall, it is a signal that the work "Paula X" is heading towards the dark forest. Leos Carax makes the cross-section of the movement that has been suddenly interrupted appear on the screen as "tremors" rather than the movement itself. If laughter is an accident of breathing, "Annette" is composed of a series of these "tremors."

"Annette" © 2020 CG Cinéma International / Théo Films / Tribus P Films International / ARTE France Cinéma / UGC Images /DETAiLFILM / Eurospace / Scope Pictures / Wrong men / Rtbf (Télévisions belge) / Piano

Henry, who performs a call-and-response act on stage in "Annette," is asked by the audience many times, "Why did you become a comedian?" Henry's responses continue, but it is hard to say that they answer the questions. The sound of him swinging the microphone around echoes through the venue as he performs the second performance. In response to a complaint from the audience, Henry knocks over the microphone stand. When that dull sound echoes through the theater, it becomes the "tremor" of the transition to a fall. The unfunny joke freezes the venue. Questions give rise to more questions, creating a chaos that is typical of Leos Carax. But Henry continues to provoke as he sings. "Laugh, laugh, laugh."

The camera, which had stopped briefly in the opening scene, resumes moving in time with the lyrics at the signal "So May We Start." The performers, including Leos Carax and his daughter Nastia Golubeva Carax and Sparks, expand their circle one by one and run out of the studio into the street while singing. However, at the end of this incredibly liberating opening scene, the police warn them not to start. This pseudo-guerrilla-filmed opening scene once again interrupts the reverie of Leos Carax's work, exposing its "trembling."

musical as riot