SUZANNE
West Coast Premiere • Drama • France, 2013
DCP • 1.85 • Dolby 5.1 • Color • 94 min
Directed by: Katell Quillévéré
Written by: Mariette Désert, Katell Quillévéré
Cinematography: Tom Harari
Film Editing: Thomas Marchand
Original Score: Verity Susman
Produced by: Bruno Lévy (Move Movie)
Cast: Sara Forestier (Suzanne), François Damiens (Nicolas), Adèle Haenel (Maria), Paul Hamy (Julien)
International Sales: Films Distribution • filmsdistribution.com
Like the titular song by Leonard Cohen, Suzanne is ultimately about a state of mind, a study in finding a sliver of grace amongst the heaps of garbage life can throw at you. Suzanne is close to her family, but between her widower father and her quiet sister, she is the troublemaker of the bunch. Restless and quixotic, her forgiving family endlessly endures the consequences of her dreams, her whims, and her bad choices. Largely set in 1990s Marseilles, the story elliptically pogo-dances through 25 years of Suzanne’s turbulent life: childhood, early pregnancy, single parenting, and above all, her driving love for an aspiring bad boy. The episodic structure perfectly mirrors Suzanne’s mercurial temperament, and Sara Forestier’s touching, contained performance holds it all together.
Although this is only the second feature of writer/director Katell Quillévéré, she has already established herself among the best of a new generation of French female filmmakers. Along with her first feature, Love Like Poison (COLCOA 2011), which bagged a prestigious Jean Vigo Prize in 2010, Quillévéré’s films turn a lyrical eye toward the consequences of separation, loss, and abandonment. In a recent interview, Quillévéré said that the unorthodox structure of Suzanne was inspired by American biopics. It was her goal at the outset to “construct a biopic of someone unknown.” Opening film of the Critic’s Week competition in Cannes last year, the film harvested five César nominations, including Best Actress, Supporting Actor, and Best Screenplay. For her role as Suzanne’s long-abiding sister, Adèle Haenel was awarded the Best Supporting Actress César. The film’s producer, Bruno Lévy, is the subject of the COLCOA 2014 Focus on a Producer.
“The brilliance of Quillévéré's direction is in the performances she coaxes from her cast, and the clear-eyed, non-judgmental way she presents them.”
- Catherine Shoard THE GUARDIAN
“Standing front and center is the terrific Forestier, who manages to imbue her character with a fragility that belies her self-centered and irresponsible behavior.”
- Ben Nicholson CINEVUE
“Treading a fine line between poetry and realism, it’s still heartfelt and harrowing.”
- James Mottram TOTAL FILM
