JEONJU Intl. Film Festival

JEONJU Cinema Project: A film festival as a producer

Isadora’s Children

Damien MANIVEL

France, Korea 2019 84min DCP Color Fiction 12

Schedule

Code	Date	Time	Theater	Info	Ticket
244	2023. 04. 29	16:30	CGV Jeonjugosa 5	HKE12GV	Ticket Wish

Overview

After losing her two children in an accident, legendary dancer Isadora Duncan created a solo piece called 'Mother.' A century later, four women living in France try to reinterpret Duncan's solo performance in their own ways. Connected by the medium of dance to express themselves, these four women are the successors of Duncan's spirit, transcending their emotions to beautiful body movements. The director Damien Manivel, a former dancer himself, directs the protagonists and touches the audience's hearts.

Review

The film revolves around a young dancer in Paris, a girl with a disability, her dance teacher, and an audience of dance performance. All of them are connected through the solo dance Mother choreographed by Isadora Duncan, created after losing her two children. While the director doesn't explicitly reveal their personal stories, these four women interpret and reproduce the performance in their own ways and profoundly sympathize with Duncan's writings. They are not only her spiritual successors but also her other children, sublimating their emotions into beautiful movements. The camera captures their everyday actions, such as walking, changing clothes, and opening and closing curtains, as if they are part of a performance, which amuses the audience. Director Damien Manivel, a former dancer, calmly yet passionately conveys that anyone can express gestures that evoke emotions, even without flashy techniques. (Sung MOON)

CREDIT

DirectorDamien MANIVEL
ProducerMartin BERTIER
ScreenplayDamien MANIVEL

CinematographyDamien MANIVEL
EditorJulien DIEUDONNE
SoundNoé BACH

CastDounia SICHOV

DIRECTOR

Damien MANIVEL

Born in 1981, France. In the past ten years, he directed five awarded features such as A Young Poet (2014), The Park (2016), The Night I Swam (2017) and Magdala (2022). One of JEONJU Cinema Project 2019, Isadora’s Children won the Best Director Award at the Locarno IFF 2019.

⚰️death❤️‍🩹healing🎨art/artist👩woman🕺music/dance