Film Premier: Coeur Animal
Un film de Séverine Cornamusaz
Le 4 novembre au cinéma
Role Model
I had the good fortune to meet Séverine Cornamusaz recently, amidst her hectic schedule of press interviews. I was immediately struck by the serene contemplation of an imenesely talented artist. I asked her whether being a film director enhanced her ability to 'be in the moment' and appreciate the richness of life around us. She admitted that, while 'life through the lense of a camera' requires intense concentration during her projects, she has become more naturally aware of and in tune with of the complexion and the dynamic of all that surrounds her. Now here's someone who can vouch for Right Place, Right Time, Same Wavelength.
Her first full-length feature film Coeur Animal will be released in Switzerland on 4th November. To accompany the 'sortie en salles' in her birthplace, Lausanne, Severine will be talking us through her inspriation for the scenario (which she developed together with Marcel Beaulieu) at the 'avant premiere' at the Pathé Galeries (rue du Petit Chêne 27). I'm going! James Cullinan
Synopsis
In the Swiss Alps, above the tree line, Paul, a crude, taciturn farmer, lives with his animals and his wife Rosine. In that order. Emotionally-stunted, unable to express any tenderness, Paul treats his wife like a worker, and when she shows signs of ill health, he chalks it up to a fervently wished-for pregnancy. When Rosine becomes bedridden, Paul decides to hire a Spanish farmhand, Eusebio. Handsome and mischievous, Eusebio -- nicknamed "Spain" -- is a worldy young man who immediately charms Claudie, the owner of the bar in the nearby hamlet, and he soon extends his disruptive presence to Paul's world as well. Pangs of jealousy and resentment begin racking Paul, inciting him to beat Rosine, something that even in his most possessive moments he had never done before. The following day, Eusebio calls the paramedics, Rosine is hospitalized and Paul is more isolated than ever. Paul is further upset when Eusebio returns to the farm with Claudie; their uninhibited lovemaking offends his repressed sensibilities. His refusal to accept a reality that doesn't correspond to his own, prevents Paul from recognizing Rosine's condition. It will take extensive prodding from Claudie before he agrees to see her in the hospital. And when he gets there he finds that he is too late; she has left the hospital without him. At long last, in her absence, Paul begins to recognize his wife's true worth. Can anything be salvaged?
Synopsis (vf)
Dans les Alpes suisses d'aujourd'hui, un alpage éloigné de tout. Dans l'alpage, un couple. Paul est un paysan fruste qui ne chérit que ses bêtes. Il règne en maître absolu sur son petit monde, tout est réglé en cordeau. Chaque geste compte, peu de gestes envers sa femme Rosine qui commence à lui résister. Traversé par des émotions qu'il ne maîtrise pas, emprisonné dans son incapacité à transmettre la tendresse, Paul rudoie sa femme et la traite comme une simple ouvrière surtout depuis qu'elle montre des signes de faiblesse. Rosine souffre d'un mal que Paul refuse d'admettre le mettant sur le compte d'une grossesse tant espérée. Obligée de s'aliter, Rosine n'est plus en mesure de travailler. Paul se résout alors à engager un saisonnier. Eusebio, «L'Espagne», comme l'appelle Paul, est un homme robuste, malicieux et charmeur. Son arrivée à l'alpage bouleverse les habitudes et l'ordre du monde que Paul s'est construits. Moments de complicité, rapports de force, apprentissage d'une certaine altérité et face-à-face viril dramatico-comique dégoupillent les axes de la réalité de Paul à laquelle vient s'ajouter l'hospitalisation de Rosine. Vient alors le moment pour Paul d'affronter ses mécanismes, ses manques et son univers de références sclérosées. À travers ces déconvenues, il va apprendre à entendre les autres et découvrir aussi ses limites, que son monde dépend aussi des autres et de Rosine.