In the documentary Writing Life – Annie Ernaux Through the Eyes of High School Students, Claire Simon features the work of the French Nobel Prize winner in literature, but not the writer herself.
“The point was to tell this story without Annie Ernaux, just using her book,” she told Variety after screening the film at The Flava International Airport. Documentary film festival. “I don’t like so-called artist portraits. I find them very boring, because you never see the art. Here you can really focus on her writing.”
Ernaux writes often about her own life and is the author of The Years and A Girl’s Story. The Happening, which details her abortion, was made into a Venice Award-winning film directed by Audrey Dewan.
“I was confident that young people would respond to her writing,” Simon said, calling it “very modern.” “Writing Life” shows students reading and discussing Ernaux’s books and being struck or shocked by her honesty.
“She talks about everyday life. Hearing the girls read ‘Girls’ Stories’ (about Ernaux’s difficult sexual encounters in her youth) gives this word great power. It’s the best ‘adaptation’ you could hope for.”
Although her film (produced by Emmanuelle Perrault for Rosebud Productions and distributed by Brussels-based Be For Films) apparently does not include Ernaux, the writer ended up joining Simon at the world premiere in Venice.
“It was a different experience, but she wanted to support this movie. Also, people love fame and celebrity, and Annie Ernaux is like George Clooney,” she says.
“Having said that, documentaries are people’s films. You don’t have to be rich, you don’t have to be a star. At a time when fascism is everywhere, it’s important that young people understand the freedom to make films. Film is not just for Cannes.”
In her films, Simon appears as a youth advocate.
“I was so happy to be able to visit these schools, because no one else does it. The students trusted me, and they realized that I was genuinely interested in what they thought. It was really that simple,” she admitted, also recalling her former doctor.
“There was this boy from “Young Solitary” (set in the suburbs of Paris). He was crying, but I kept filming. When I showed him the footage, he said, “I trust Claire.” I was very surprised, but he trusted me. Maybe it’s because I paid attention to him and all the other kids. That’s the thing about documentary filmmaking and women. That’s an incredible force.
A prolific filmmaker, Simon isn’t interested in extracting truth from his subjects.
“People say I make positive films. I’m like painters like Renoir and Monet, and I also loved models. I’m not like Picasso,” she smiles. “I don’t exploit the people I photograph. Never. My art is to love the people I photograph.” But finding your footing as a female director wasn’t always easy.
“I remember making a movie with Natalie Bay (‘God’s Office’) and I said to her, ‘I feel bad. I can’t even flirt with you because I’m a woman,'” she replied, “I hate it when directors go after me.” When Tony Marshall was making a movie with Catherine Deneuve, they asked the man who was the producer to have dinner with them every night. We knew we needed it! ”
These days, she believes in young people, including the ones she showed in her latest movie.
“At some point before #MeToo started, I thought, ‘Oh my God, we’ve lost. We’re not going to achieve equality.’ Then things changed,” she says. “These young people, these girls are smart and strong. They will never surrender. We will never let them win.”
