38th edition 2023 short & midlength films
Ralentir la Chute
Camille Tricaud / Franziska Unger
In the light of the Alps, a great ski-jumping hill flashes metallically. Two ski jumpers synchronously rehearse movements in the valley while being watched by a film crew. It is the first reunion for the two athletes since their separation.
Camille Tricaud studied philosophy in Bordeaux, and directing at HFF Munich. In 2019, she directed an experimental short film, The Wilds, and Apocalypse Baby, We Advertise the End of the World in 2021, already with Franziska Unger. She is a member of Benedetta Films production company. Franziska Unger is a visual artist and director. She studied architecture in Dresden.
- Scénario
- Camille TRICAUD
- Photographie
- Felix PFLIEGER
- Son
- Xavier FLEMING
- Montage
- Clara SAUNIER
- Musique
- Bachar MAR-KHALIFE
- Décors
- Franziska UNGER
- Production
- Benedetta Films
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A word from the selection committee :
Ralentir la chute opens on cloudy heights that call to mind the vast, foggy landscapes of Werner Herzog’s early narrative films, before presenting an odd, martial-like choreography by two female dancers dressed in technical gear. That feeling of loneliness, however, is immediately counterbalanced by a commercial film shoot. This stark reverse shot illustrates the dilemma at the core of the film : graceful ski jumps performed by two passionate athletes against the sponsors’ marketing hypocrisy. Should we play along? The strength of that film is that it doesn’t stop at that dichotomy, and the moral tenets of the script never affect the (cold) sensuality of the mise-en-scène. The film is beautiful in that it steers clear from the cynicism of commercial advertising: attention to the body, textures (the sound design of the film is captivating), and the accuracy of movements, makes this an unmistakably realistic film. Having the actual ski jump champion, Coline Mattelt, play one of the athletes clinches this realistic deal; she provides us with the reality of an athlete’s body, one that cannot be mimicked, as she says in front of sponsor’s cameras.
- Paola Raiman