Izia Higelin in Juliet in the spring: why we should see this tender and moving film from the successful comic book?

Two years after Annie Kohler, director Blandin Lenoir adapts Camille Jourde’s graphic novel. “Juliet, the ghosts return in the spring” Published in Actes Sud Bd.

Titled Juliette in the Spring, the feature film directed by Izia Higuelin, Sophie Guillemin, Jean-Pierre Darossin, Noemi Lvovsky, Eric Caravaca and Lillian Rovere follows Juliette, a young children’s book illustrator. The latter leaves the city for a few days to join his family: his father, so modest that he only expresses himself in jokes, his mother, an artist who enjoys life, his beloved grandmother, who loses her fortune, and his sister, a mother overwhelmed by everyday life, which consumes him. She also meets Pollux (Salif Sisse), a poetic and attractive young man. In this happy mess, memories and secrets will surface.

Adaptation of comics

A tender and moving portrait of women and family in general, dealing with powerful themes such as depression, mental strain, the place we hold in the family that defines our relationships with people, motherhood, mourning and the unspoken. has consequences.

At the film’s press kit, Blandine Lenoir Explains that he was seduced by the comic of Camille Jourdi: “I fell under the spell of this dialogue-rich story about a family that cannot communicate and Camille Jourdi’s characters, very well drawn (in every way!), fantastic and desperate, full of imperfections. I immediately felt a great kindness and tenderness for them and wanted to take them in my arms and take them not far from them into my world.“

On the adaptation side, the director worked on the structure of the screenplay with Maude Amelin, who was nominated for a César for Best Original Screenplay in 2013 for Camille Redoublé. Blandin Lenoir clarifies that he particularly explored the issues surrounding the characters and the progression of the story in order to leave behind the “chronic” aspect of the comics.

“I scratched under the paintings to reveal the sequence that appeared, to add to my desires for cinema… I felt very free in this adaptation, thanks to the trust of Camille Jourdi. Moreover, when he read the script, he no longer knew what came from him and me, it was natural that his characters met my distant cousins ​​who knew each other, especially since it was a very happy piece of writing..”

Strong topics

Happy writing for topics that are less because the main topic Juliet in the spring This is depression. In Aurore after menopause and after abortion Annie BrazTherefore, Blandin Lenoir invites another social entity. It specifies: “Beyond depression, the film’s theme is the difficulty of dealing with family trouble, that first instinctive gesture of seeking comfort from those we think we know by heart, and that sadness at not being able to understand herself that Juliet wants. Find relief for the little child who is grieving in the arms of his parents, unfortunately, as an adult, comfort is more difficult…

Juliet experienced a shock in her childhood that she has forgotten. Family grief sometimes brings people together, sometimes it doesn’t. I tried to understand each “voice” in the story of a family trapped in a taboo, to create a common odyssey, the difficulty of overcoming pain.

Finding the perfect actor

Regardless of the subject matter, the result is a sunny, tender and moving film. The relationship between two sisters, which embodies the sun Izia Higelin And perfect and very rare Sophie GuilleminMakes progress when the two sisters finally take time to talk together.

The director returns to the choice of actress for Juliet:Because her character is “forbidden”, I asked Izia to hold back her brilliant energy, but we feel her presence, ready to express herself. Iza has something of her childhood intact, a great sensitivity, strength and weakness together. With her almost youthful smile and large inquisitive eyes, she seemed perfect to me to play Juliet, a young woman who was “stuck” as a child, as if paralyzed by trauma.“

Therefore, another strong point of the film is Marylou, Juliet’s older sister, played by Sophie Guillemin, who here gives one of the most beautiful roles of her career. A role for which the actor literally praises himself.

Blandine Lenoir explains: “One of the reasons that made me want to adapt Camille Jourde’s comics is the desire to depict the moments of love that Marylou and her lover experience in the greenhouse, in the middle of nature, with the light of day. The challenge was to present a playful, carnal, sensual sexuality with “normal” bodies that don’t conform to established laws, which is ultimately quite rare in cinema. In most movies, the sex scenes are played by young, very thin and muscular actors and actresses who make love with great seriousness and brutality… we don’t always recognize ourselves in it!“

French cinema suppresses “non-standard” forms and physicality.

Blandine Lenoir adds: “JI started casting with casting director Constance DeMontoy, looking for an actress in her fifties who could play Marylou, a woman who, like 80% of women in our country, is not a size 38 and who would be comfortable in the nude! And I met only eight actors, because French cinema suppresses non-standard forms and physicality.

That’s how I met Sophie GuilleminAnd I was immediately struck by its spectacular cinematography. He is a generous actor. He is extraordinary because of his physique and brilliant eyes, but he can also be ordinary, which means we can still easily identify him. Yes, he can be all of them, overwhelmed by the mental burden of managing family life, frustrated by his relationship that is no longer working, tired of playing the role of the head of the family that everyone focuses on… In fact, he can no longer stand the one who is “strong” in his family. designated. As for Juliet, life is hard, but she doesn’t allow herself to express it. “

Juliet in the spring You can see it in theaters this Wednesday, June 12.