“Jane by Charlotte” Being a Mother and an Eternal Daughter

Exchange of “voices” from childhood

Charlotte continues to take pictures of Jane. Jane says that the sound of the camera shutter sounds like Charlotte's "voice". "Jane by Charlotte" is a movie about the exchange of "voices" between the two. The smallness and beauty of the "voices" of the two singers is startling. The words of the two, who talk as if they are singing, sound like they are exchanging musical notes.

"Considering the very small amount of talent I possessed, my good fortune is enormous." (Jane Birkin)

Although Jane is British, she is celebrated as a "symbol of France," but she speaks very humbly about her talent, and her words seem to come from her heart. "I'm just a copy of Jean Shrimpton, and not as beautiful as Françoise Hardy," Jane says. Jane carved out her own path by proactively showing her own complexes, such as her delicate body and small voice, to the audience. This reversal of ideas is similar to innocent "play." This is surely the reason why Jane describes her meeting with Serge as her "second childhood."

“Jane by Charlotte” © 2021 NOLITA CINEMA – DEADLY VALENTINE PUBLISHING / ReallyLikeFilms

Re-living childhood. Charlotte in "Jane by Charlotte" seems to be trying to make up for the summer holidays she lost as a child. Charlotte gave up her summer holidays from school to shoot movies such as " An Impudent Girl " (1985) directed by Claude Miller. Jane always said, "Everything she touches turns to gold. The talent of the actor Charlotte Gainsbourg is greater than mine." Using the camera as an "excuse," Charlotte relives the summer holidays she was supposed to spend with her mother as a child. The sound of the camera shutter is probably the shy "voice" of Charlotte, who, like Jane, has a small voice.

It all goes back to childhood. This film is not a dialogue with the legend that is Jane Birkin. It is an attempt to realize the conversation we wish we could have with our mothers, or that we were unable to have. Like Charlotte, Jane knows the cruelty of everything passing away. This feeling is strongly evoked in the film's highlight, a visit to the room where she shared with Serge. Jane had not visited the place since Serge's death in 1991.

eternal daughter