NoThe day that sees two superstars, Natalie Portman and Julianne Moore, bring to life two powerful female portraits, in May December by Todd Haynes, there is another film – shot by a young woman, Iris Kaltenbäck – passed yesterday at the Semaine de la critique, which is worth recovering. Hafsia Herzi, until a few years ago, she wasn’t sure she would continue to be an actress. She had debuted in Cous cous by Abdellatif Kechichea role he had given her the Mastroianni prize, intended for the best debuts, at the Venice Film Festival in 2007.
Since then she has continued to be an actress, she has made beautiful and important films (Mektoub My Kove always with Kechiche), she became a director and screenwriterbut has kept that sensitivity of the beginnings, towards first-time filmmakers, gods independent films, shot a bit “guerrilla” without permission, with little money, little time, crew reduced to a minimum.
Hafsia Herzi and Alexis Manenti.
In Cannes accompanies one of these films, ravissements, by Iris Kaltenbäck, a debut feature. The ravissements means “the kidnapping” and that is the act that his character performs in the second part of the film. “Inexplicably” the chronicles would write. Her character is a midwife, good at her job in which she believes, she knows she is there to take care of the health of the mother and the child at a crucial moment.
The pain of abandonment
In his private life, however, something unexpected happens, the partner she lives with leaves her: «I met someone», «Gather your business and leave». Luckily she is not alone, she has a best friend, Salome. Soon after, she reveals that she is pregnant. She will be the one to deliver her child and then to establish a very close relationship with the little one, too much.
When the man she had a one-night stand with he meets her with the baby in her arms, makes the decision which will then, tragically, determine all the others. The ravissements it’s a successful film (which perhaps we’ll see in Italy, there’s interest from our distributors) and it’s a debut like very few are seen in our parts.
An exploration into the melancholy of abandonment (which Herzi knows well, having also dealt with it as a director in his first work, You deserve a love of 2019), on the fear of loneliness, on the mystery – infinitely explorable – of motherhood.
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