We have rarely seen Agnes Jaoui so moving: you will see my mother’s life in the cinema

What is it about?

33-year-old Pierre, a successful florist, sees his life turned upside down when his mother Judith, fantastical and extravagant, comes into his life after two years of not seeing each other. Pierre has only one idea, to return to the normal course of life, but nothing goes as planned. Their union, as unexpected and explosive as it is, transforms Pierre and Judith forever.

“My Mother’s Life,” the first feature film to hit the festival circuit, hits theaters this Wednesday. Agnès Jaoui and William Lebghil’s film won a particularly coveted Audience Award at the Angoulême Film Festival de la Francophonie, where we met the team.

AlloCiné: How would you present the film?

Julien Carpentier, screenwriter and director: This is the relationship between a mother and her son, who have not seen each other for several years. Pierre’s character, played by William Lebgill, has decided not to see his mother anymore and put him in the center because he is bipolar. The character of Judith, played by Agnes Jauy, has escaped and will return to her son’s life. This is a union.

The script was very good and poetic.

What bothered you about this scenario? This is a film that is constantly on the edge between emotion and humor…

William Lebgill, actor: I really liked the script because we don’t have big shoes to fill. It is always in modesty, or sometimes more in emotion. The script was very good and poetic.

Agnes Jauy, actress: Every time Julien avoids clichés. There is great humanity in all that is described, including what is not easy. I get the impression that everyone can relate, understand, the difficulty of relationship and the difficulty of love.

I think this is the most tear-jerking movie I’ve ever been a part of!

We have rarely seen such exciting scenes…

Agnès Jaoui: I think this is the teariest movie I’ve ever been a part of!

….and it’s certainly not an understatement when I tell you that…

Agnes Jaoui: Oh no, not at all. We cry a lot, but with happiness! Here’s what’s weird. There is no terrible drama, but there is something that grabs you. He is a very colorful character who goes to many extremes. So it’s fun to play, obviously.

William, what was it like playing those emotional scenes?

William Lebgill: I love it. But admittedly, it’s not something I get offered very often. When I was in drama school, for example, I knew I had a strong side and that was comedy. But I was only making a tragedy. I was at Perrimon’s school and every time Mr. Perrimon said to me: But do comedy! And I said no, I don’t want to!

I loved finding things in tragedy that were also funny. In Shakespeare or even Racine, there are still very funny moments between these authors. I like it when everything is there. I’m greedy!

There are certain scenes that I was able to draw from personal experience.

There’s a delicate balance to find so that we can empathize with your characters, which is true, and believe in the characters. Did you trade a lot to find that balance?

Julien Carpentier: This is a topic I know well. Agnes also in his entourage. So it was already common knowledge. Pretty quickly, it became very obvious. It was quite written and therefore I did not want to highlight it. There are certain scenes that I was able to draw from personal experience, but what they experience throughout the film is not something that I directly experienced.

And about Agnes, when I saw her the first day, I was very upset because she got something. Besides, my family was extremely excited when they saw the movie. I don’t know what happened. Agnes immediately picked up the expression on her face, all its little subtleties.

It is a film that speaks to the audience.

William Lebgill: I think it’s a film that speaks to the audience. Bipolar affects many people, or those around them, many people. This disease circulates among people. The film speaks more broadly about illness, the difficulty of overcoming the sadness that can arise from illness.

Can you tell us about this very beautiful music scene in the film?

Julien Carpentier: Because the French song, the repertoire of the 80s, is what unites the generations. This is also the time when memories come to light. There was a desire for this to be a moment where they could really connect through song for the first time.

Comments collected at Angoulême Film Festival de la Francophonie 2023