Justin Triet, Palme d’Or 2023 “I lived through the zero virginity era, then the extreme cursing wave”

On May 27, Justine Trier became the third woman in history to win the Cannes Film Festival’s top prize for her fourth film. Anatomy of a fall. This legal thriller follows the trial of a writer and mother of a visually impaired child who is suspected of murdering her husband. In the premises of the court, like a powerful revealer of entrenched stereotypes, the filmmaker examines the equality of the couple, the misunderstandings that professional imbalance can cause, the relationship with motherhood, the judgments of established women who do not apologize for being themselves. they are. “We judge the freedom of a woman who, being confident in herself and in the dominant couple, does not arouse any sympathy, the director explains. In the eyes of society, he has nothing of a victim, but everything of a sinner.

In the video, Anatomy of a Fallthe teaser

The film hits hard, cleverly deconstructs patterns, masters tension. He stood out at the 2023 Cannes competition: “I am very proud to have received a palm. it can give hope to young female directors and also rewards my teams. It is the most honorable film award there is.” Probably a form of validation. “It would be terrible to think like that. Nothing is guaranteed in this profession, we always start from scratch. The price is only a reflection of a career moment.” Justin Trier talks cash, talks fast, talks free. That’s one of his great qualities…though he’s not attractive to everyone.

In his acceptance speech at Cannes, he also challenged the establishment and expressed his fear of seeing the French cultural exception disappear and with it the possibility of emerging talent. “In addition to his humor and liveliness of mind, Justin is remarkable for his humility,” actress Virginie Efira testifies. Victoria and a friend. “His words in Cannes were revealing. she didn’t want to pull the covers over her. In this environment, he is one of the few who can talk bad about his own films, question himself.

“The hum, the well-made little music bored me”

Justine Trier is an artist of conviction, a woman who dares and rebels. After studying painting at the Beaux-Arts, she rebels when she is chosen for a “women’s exhibition”. “I found it almost insulting. It was like telling me. you will never be equal to men…” His social ideals would permeate his cinema, a discipline he discovered through editing courses at his school.

Justin doesn’t theorize anything. there is no major feminist project. He is exactly what he says

Virginia Ephira

Nourished by his mother’s film culture and a childhood with “anti-capitalist parents,” he signs In placethe first documentary in 2007 about the movement against the first contract of employment (CPE). Solferino looks back on the eve of the 2007 presidential election and sets the stage for it Battle of Solferino. In this first feature film, he mixes the intimate and the collective, following a journalist and mother who, when forced to cover the second round of 2012, sees her former companion get off the boat and complicate her life. A film director films the day of Francois Hollande’s victory, entrusts his actress Letitia Doche to a real reporter without asking for permission, ignoring the risks of court cases. “The hum, the little well-made music bored me. When I shoot, I try to make something come alive,” admits he, who in 2016 Victoria. “I find myself very strongly in what Truffaut said. “You have to make a movie against the other one.” This profession should be a perpetual reinvention.

“A woman should be absolutely independent”

Comedy reinforces the filmography, where femininity allows itself a lot. “Justin doesn’t theorize anything. there is no major feminist project. That’s just what it says,” emphasizes Virgini Efira. “Her characters are alive, contrasting, with deconstructed relationships with motherhood, femininity, sexuality, and the body. For a long time I was under the impression that I was too physically “tough” but the way Justin looked at me helped me accept myself. Thanks to his curiosity and lack of snobbery, everything changed for me. I was no longer Virgin Ephyra new star but Virginie Ephira, the actress Victoria. He allowed me to love myself better in every possible way. It is nothing in life. He will always have a special place in me.”

With Rebecca Zlotovsky, Celine Ciamma, Julia Ducournot (born 2021) or the German Maren Ade, colleagues whose quest for freedom and meaning she admires, Justine Trier was one of the first to work (without insisting on it) for a fairer representation of women. in cinema. “I lived through the era of zero cursia, then the wave of extreme Syrianism. Since MeToo, I myself have been more attentive to the work of directors around me.

“I thought you must be the right fellow to be accepted as captain of a ship.”

Justin Triet

This open view of women, energetic forties also owes to his family heritage. As a child, when her mother lived in the community, she spent time with her grandmother, who came from a poor background and became a doctor through hard work. “She had an iron will, a rather tough character and made me understand that a woman should be absolutely independent.” Hardworking Like his grandmother, the filmmaker finds it harder to cure his addiction because he shares his life with Arthur Harary, co-writer of his last two films, but also an actor (The Goldman Trialsoon) and Director (Black diamond, Onoda) “You have to be able to separate the routine, and that’s sometimes difficult; the older i get the more obsessed i am. My father was often absent, and my mother raised the three children almost alone, sacrificing some ambitions. Also, when I got pregnant, I started working four times more. I refused to let motherhood dictate my choices.

Parenting, it will be discussed Sibyl, in 2019, which by his own admission will not leave him unscathed. “The film was shortened by an hour and is not quite what I wanted. Learned a lot but to be honest I had a slump followed by the baby blues. But my producer, Marie-Ange Luciani, has a habit of saying that I reveal myself during adversity. It is difficult to contradict. from this period will be born turmoil Anatomy of a Fall and a different way of thinking about his shots. “When I started, I couldn’t help but entertain the gallery. I thought that it was necessary to be a good friend in order to be accepted as the captain of the ship. Maybe because the criticisms flew faster when I was authoritarian… But on Anatomy, I decided to stop trying to charm and take charge of my ambitions. I am no longer afraid of displeasure.” He was awarded the Palme d’Or.

anatomy of a fall By Justin Triet, with Sandra Huhler, Swan Arlaud, Milo Machado Graner… In theaters August 23rd.