Consent and its success in cinema: director Vanessa Philo ‘conveyed how young people are concerned about this story’

59,266 entries for its first week of operation. 82,582 during the second. That’s a 39% increase from October 18 to 24, when behemoths like A Difficulty Year and Killers of the Flower Moon just hit theaters.

Few films have achieved as impressive a performance as Consent, whose rise is largely due to the TikTok trend, where videos related to the film, adapted from Vanessa Springora’s book, have been viewed more than 20 million times.

With more than 160,000 theatrical admissions to date, Le Consentement has already outperformed the 107,437 of Gueule d’ange, his directorial debut feature Vanessa Philo. Vin returns with us to this phenomenon that surrounds his film about the controlling relationship between Vanessa Springora and writer Gabriel Maznef when she was just 14 years old.

AlloCiné: How did you discover this increase in attendance and become familiar with the phenomenon? Have you tracked your film’s box office performance before?

Vanessa Philo : I followed the figures a little, but at a distance, because the film now belongs to the public. You can never predict what will happen. We’ve been carrying the film for years, fighting because it’s important, always hoping to share it with as many people as possible, but nothing is certain.

And then gradually we realized that the recordings were slow to stop, which meant that it was word of mouth. that some had to convince people who were initially afraid to go see a film about the subject. And it hit my heart.

And then, a week ago, my producer, Carol Lambert, called me and said that her daughter, who’s in high school, showed her videos, testimonials on TikTok: teenage girls and even adults taking before and after pictures of themselves. Watching the movie, who was involved. It was very moving! I thought about all the emails I received early in the casting process from young women who wrote to me to talk about how Vanessa Springora’s book had affected their lives.

The theater operators I spoke with told me that they haven’t seen so many teenagers at this type of movie in a long time.

This enthusiasm can also be felt in theaters on TikTok, where posts related to “consent” have amassed more than 20 million views to date. Have you seen any of the videos? What surprised you?

Yes, of course I watched it! I was so moved to feel how concerned and disturbed the young people were by Vanessa’s story. I also wanted in this film to talk about adolescence, this crucial and decisive age, to talk about them. Watching all these teenagers take on the film is great!

I’ve even seen messages accompanying videos where several people who don’t know each other arrange meetings to go see it together. We made this film to condemn sexual violence, the abuse of power that still dominates our society. Also to avoid. They are the ones who move the lines and define a different future.

Were you able to interact with some of the people who posted this video or the viewers?

I have just returned from a tour of the provinces during which I was able to present the film and debate with the public. Sometimes Kim Higelin and Vanessa Springora accompanied me. All three of us were at the Lila Feminist Film Festival. The exchanges were very strong.

I met a lot of victims of sexual abuse for whom the film was necessary, as well as the representation of sexuality and all the violence that goes along with that story. Because it was necessary for them not to succumb to the cruelty that they had experienced, the very cruelty that had destroyed their lives and remained silent for so many years.

I especially noticed that when the adults questioned the violence of certain images, the teenagers in the room took the microphone and said that, in turn, it was not what shocked them the most, because they were mostly sensitive to the psychological violence of people. The effect of words on the character’s suffering.

It reminded me of our first exchange with Kim after the casting. He was twenty years old at that time. We talked together about the intimate and sexual scenes described in the script. He told me that what scared him most about acting wasn’t the psychological violence of the story, the manipulation and the violence of everyday life.

The success of the film was especially evident in the evening screenings. Are there plans to engage with the public after these few sessions? Understanding the reason for this phenomenon or dialogue with them about the themes of the film?

I really want to continue supporting the film, yes. Continue to engage with the community. Each time, these are privileged moments of exchange and freedom of speech. These are real meetings. I interacted with viewers of all ages. As the presentations continued, I noticed more and more young girls in the room, and then more and more teenagers accompanying them.

And during the debate, they spoke more and more to express their emotions and express their opinion. The theater operators I spoke with told me that they haven’t seen so many teenagers at this type of movie in a long time.

We made this film to condemn sexual violence, the abuse of power that still dominates our society. Also to avoid

Do you know if the success of the movie has any effect on the sales of Vanessa Springora’s book?

I don’t know, but it is clear that after each meeting with the public, many of those who had not yet read the book confided in their desire to read it immediately!

Did you have a target in terms of reception when the film came out? Recently reviewed above?

Today, I respond that I am happy to share that this film, which was meant to prolong the fight started by Vanessa Springora, continues to exist, that it can encourage free speech and work for prevention.

Commentary collected by Maximilien Pierret in Paris on October 27, 2023