At the cinema: discover Marion Cotillard, the transformed Little Girl in Blue, a surprising and exciting film

what are you talking about

When her mother died, Mona Achache discovered thousands of photographs, letters and notes, but these buried secrets defied the mystery of her disappearance. So, with the power of cinema and the grace of incarnation, she decides to restore him to repeat his life and understand him.

All about his mother

Revealed by Le Hérisson, based on the novel of the same name, then Les Gazelles, co-written and brought to life with the comic energy of Camille Chamus, Mona Achache signs one of the most surprising films of the 2023 film year. Documentary? fiction? a bit of both?

In this introspective exercise, the director blurs the boundaries between genres, media (photos, writing, sound clips) and techniques. where he tries to restore his mother and continue her legacy. Carol Achachi was actually an author and she wrote a book about her own mother.

Therefore, Mona Achache is part of the same impulse, through the art she possesses. and it will appear on the screen. In the middle of photos and notebooks blackened with thoughts, as if haunted by memories that briefly intervene in the montage, and face to face with Marion Cotillard, who accordingly plays the mother. While playing (with a slight delay) or imitating his voice, wearing a wig and clothes of the deceased.

This is the most destabilizing sequence in Little Girl Blue at first. Because despite the work of Incarnation (which is somewhat reminiscent of La Môme, but less extreme), it’s hard not to see Marion Cotillard. But we eventually got used to it and that helps “oneurism” which the actor mentions in the press kit.

And the main thing, for the director, is not limited to this concept of a star: “There was my fascination, my admiration for Marion Cotillard, the actress. And crossing paths a little bit, the intuition that she would understand Carole.”he declares. “It was something that connected us to her story, which could be the starting point of a very powerful incarnation. My mother’s journey is remarkable, broken by powerful and acclaimed writers.”

“I wanted to respond to this with a demanding cinematic gesture and give Carol the aura of an iconic actress. Contrast Carol’s darkness with this light. I knew this character required extraordinary work and talent.” A work that the film does not hide, showing the actor’s failures and questions.

My mother’s journey is marked by the journey of powerful and acclaimed writers. I wanted to respond to this with a demanding cinematic gesture and give Carol the aura of an iconic actress.

If the deadline “experimental” Capable of scaring the general public, it’s very hard not to credit it to Little Girl Blue, which takes its name from the Janis Joplin song of the same name, which features over the end credits. Words cannot fully convey what we see on the screen and which is more universal than one might believe.

We sometimes think of the documentary “All Beauty and Spilled Blood, Golden Lion” at the Venice Film Festival in 2022, which follows Nan Goldin’s battle with those responsible for the opioid crisis, as well as a portrait of her and her time. Because Little Girl Blue brings Carol Acheche to life as much as the world in which she developed.

A way for the director to expand his field of vision and further involve the audience in this intimate story. While he also puts himself on stage and reveals his wounds and flaws (“Women in the family are cursed”We understand), everyone will be able to project their own experience.

“I’ve never done anything so hard in my life.”, complains Marion Cotillard in one scene. No doubt the same is true of the slave Mona Achache, who is shown in the last picture freed after this indescribable but thrilling film has ended.