In documentary “Writing Life – Annie Ernaux Through the Eyes of High School Students” Claire Simon takes on the work of the French Nobel Literature Prize winner – but not the writer herself.
“The point was to tell this story without Annie Ernaux, only using her books,” she explains to Variety after showing the film at Ji.hlava Intl. Documentary Film Festival. “I don’t like so-called portraits of artists. I find them very boring, because you never see the art. Here, you can really focus on her sentences.”
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Ernaux, who often writes about her own life, is the author of “The Years” and “A Girl’s Story.” “Happening,” detailing her abortion, was adapted into a Venice-winning film directed by Audrey Diwan.
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“I was sure young people would respond to her writing,” says Simon, calling it “very modern.” In “Writing Life,” she shows students reading and discussing Ernaux’s books, taken – or even shocked – by her honesty.
“She talks about everyday life. Hearing ‘A Girl’s Story’ [about a difficult sexual encounter in Ernaux’s youth] being read by the girls gives these words so much power. That’s the best ‘adaptation’ you could hope for.”
Although her film – produced by Emmanuel Perreau for Rosebud Productions and sold by Brussels-based Be For Films – is distinctly Ernaux-free, the writer ended up joining Simon in Venice for the world premiere.
“It was a different experience, but she wanted to support the film. Also, people love fame and celebrities, and Annie Ernaux is just like George Clooney,” she says.
“That being said, documentaries are the movies of the people. You don’t need to be rich and you don’t need a star either. Now that fascism is everywhere, it’s important for young people to realize they are free to make films. Cinema isn’t just reserved for Cannes.”
In her film, Simon emerges as a champion of youth.
“I was very happy to visit these schools, because nobody else does. The students trusted me because they realized I was genuinely interested in what they thought. It’s really that simple,” she admits, also recalling previous doc.
“There was this boy in ‘Young Solitude’ [set in the Paris suburbs]. He was crying, but I kept filming. When I showed him the footage, he said: ‘I trust Claire.’ I was very surprised, but he accepted everything because he trusted me. Maybe it was because I paid attention to him and every other kid. That’s the thing about documentary filmmaking, and women. We listen. It’s an incredible power.”
Simon, a prolific filmmaker, isn’t interested in pulling the truth out of her subjects.
“People tell me that I make positive films. I’m like all these painters, like Renoir or Monet, who also loved their models. Unlike Picasso,” she smiles. “I don’t exploit the people I film. Never. My art is about loving the people I film.” But finding her footing as a female director wasn’t always easy.
“I remember when I made a film with Nathalie Baye [‘God’s Offices’]. I said to her: ‘I feel bad, because I’m a woman and I can’t even flirt with you.’ She replied: ‘I hate it when directors flirt with me.’ When Tonie Marshall was making a film with Catherine Deneuve, they asked the producer – a man – to have dinner with her every night. We used to think it was necessary!”
These days, she has faith in young people – including those she shows in her latest film.
“At one point, before #MeToo, I thought: ‘Oh my God, we’ve lost. We won’t achieve equality.’ Then things changed,” she says. “These young people, these girls, are clever and strong. They will never surrender. They’ll never let those guys win.”