Research Objectives
In France in 2009, I viewed a film by French director Marina de Van. Ne te retourne pas, her second feature film, is a dark thriller about a woman who loses her identity as her body morphs into that of an unknown other. Shortly afterwards I became acquainted with the work of Catherine Breillat: films such as À ma Soeur (For my Sister, 2001) and Anatomie de l’enfer (Anatomy of Hell, 2004), both seemed to foreground themes of identity and alienation. These films are quite shocking in their graphic portrayal of the body and were unlike anything I had seen from filmmakers in Australia. As a female Australian writer/director I found myself wondering first about the directors’ motivations concerning these themes, and second, about the status of female directors within the French film industry. What sort of film industry and culture had given rise to female directors producing such complex, disturbing and challenging images?
My initial research located these directors’ works within the confronting early 21st century French cinema trend known as the cinéma du corps (Palmer 2006) or the new French extremity (Quandt 2004). Kevin Cooke used the term ‘mini new wave,’ particularly citing the films of François Ozon as an example of a new generation of filmmakers influenced by the horror films of Roman Polanski (2007). Claire Denis was noted as another key player in this mini-movement, alongside male peers including Gaspar Noé and Bruno Dumont. Their films explore stark portrayals of the human body as a site for identity formation, sexual debasement and transgressive urges in a fashion that is disturbing and often horrific.
Beginning around the turn of the century with the release of Breillat’s controversial film Romance (1999), my PhD study focuses on the three female directors prominent within the cinéma du corps mini-movement: Catherine Breillat, Claire Denis and Marina de Van, all of whom have been described as ‘auteurs’ due to their distinct voices and unique visions. My research approach is two pronged: firstly, I aimed to provide an analysis of these filmmakers' thematic, stylistic and practical concerns. Framed by an investigation into the status of women directors in the French film industry, this study examined each director’s approach to the representation of the body, desire and identity.
The second prong of my study moves into the arena of creative research. As a filmmaker looking for alternative approaches to representation and portrayal of the body, I have embarked on my own film production: a practical project that attempts to explore the identified approaches from my position as an Australian film writer/ director. This creative element has helped me to explore practical and stylistic concerns ‘from the inside,’ and has provided an opportunity to further explore identified approaches and make discoveries through practice. The resulting 28 minute film, The Sister, functions as an artifact enabling further discussion of the three directors' approaches. By considering the filmmaking process and the resultant work in relation to my previously established practice, I have attempted to answer the question: How can these directors’ approaches to portrayal of the body inform my practice as a writer/director in the Australian context?
Screenwriting practices have been undertaken as a means of exploring story and character, while production techniques have enabled a close inspection of the relationship between performer, cast, crew and screen space. Effectively, I have investigated practices of French women’s film production in an Australian context. The completed work has the tangible outcome of being a vehicle for critical discourse on the concerns of Breillat, Denis and de Van, and on my own concerns as an Australian writer/director.
Kath Dooley
References:
Cooke, Kevin (2010), 'The Last Mistress- Film Review', <http://www.flachfilm.com/index.php?page=articles&id=553&redirect=72&pageBack=film >, accessed 22 November.
Palmer, Tim (2006), 'Style and Sensation in the Contemporary French Cinema of the Body', Journal of Film and Video, 58 (3), 22.
Quandt, James (2004), 'Flesh & blood: Sex and violence in recent French cinema', Artforum, 42 (6), 126-32.
My initial research located these directors’ works within the confronting early 21st century French cinema trend known as the cinéma du corps (Palmer 2006) or the new French extremity (Quandt 2004). Kevin Cooke used the term ‘mini new wave,’ particularly citing the films of François Ozon as an example of a new generation of filmmakers influenced by the horror films of Roman Polanski (2007). Claire Denis was noted as another key player in this mini-movement, alongside male peers including Gaspar Noé and Bruno Dumont. Their films explore stark portrayals of the human body as a site for identity formation, sexual debasement and transgressive urges in a fashion that is disturbing and often horrific.
Beginning around the turn of the century with the release of Breillat’s controversial film Romance (1999), my PhD study focuses on the three female directors prominent within the cinéma du corps mini-movement: Catherine Breillat, Claire Denis and Marina de Van, all of whom have been described as ‘auteurs’ due to their distinct voices and unique visions. My research approach is two pronged: firstly, I aimed to provide an analysis of these filmmakers' thematic, stylistic and practical concerns. Framed by an investigation into the status of women directors in the French film industry, this study examined each director’s approach to the representation of the body, desire and identity.
The second prong of my study moves into the arena of creative research. As a filmmaker looking for alternative approaches to representation and portrayal of the body, I have embarked on my own film production: a practical project that attempts to explore the identified approaches from my position as an Australian film writer/ director. This creative element has helped me to explore practical and stylistic concerns ‘from the inside,’ and has provided an opportunity to further explore identified approaches and make discoveries through practice. The resulting 28 minute film, The Sister, functions as an artifact enabling further discussion of the three directors' approaches. By considering the filmmaking process and the resultant work in relation to my previously established practice, I have attempted to answer the question: How can these directors’ approaches to portrayal of the body inform my practice as a writer/director in the Australian context?
Screenwriting practices have been undertaken as a means of exploring story and character, while production techniques have enabled a close inspection of the relationship between performer, cast, crew and screen space. Effectively, I have investigated practices of French women’s film production in an Australian context. The completed work has the tangible outcome of being a vehicle for critical discourse on the concerns of Breillat, Denis and de Van, and on my own concerns as an Australian writer/director.
Kath Dooley
References:
Cooke, Kevin (2010), 'The Last Mistress- Film Review', <http://www.flachfilm.com/index.php?page=articles&id=553&redirect=72&pageBack=film >, accessed 22 November.
Palmer, Tim (2006), 'Style and Sensation in the Contemporary French Cinema of the Body', Journal of Film and Video, 58 (3), 22.
Quandt, James (2004), 'Flesh & blood: Sex and violence in recent French cinema', Artforum, 42 (6), 126-32.