20/08/2024 - The French director discusses the fusion of cinematic art and live performance, and his exploration of the abuse of power in the fashion and film industries

(© Locarno Film Festival/Ti-Press)

Bertrand Mandico is a French filmmaker recognised for his unique style, blending visual experimentation with narratives that defy conventional structures. Cineuropa sat down with the director to discuss the fusion of cinematic art and live performance, and his exploration of the abuse of power in the fashion and film industries in Dragon Dilatation [+see also:
film review
interview: Bertrand Mandico
film profile], screened Out of Competition at the Locarno Film Festival, as well as the importance of experimentation in his work.

Cineuropa: How does Dragon Dilatation fit into your body of work, particularly in relation to The Wild Boys [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Bertrand Mandico
film profile] or After Blue [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile]?
Bertrand Mandico: Dragon Dilatation is the coming together of two films connected to live performance, which is why they are presented together. Initially, I didn't plan to combine them, but both films were commissioned. The first is an adaptation of Petrouchka, a reinterpretation of the ballet that was screened at the Aix-en-Provence Festival.

I questioned the role of the screen within the context of live performance and how to create a film in that setting. I chose to work with split screen because I myself have a visual impairment, a divergent gaze that gives me double vision. So, I really explored this technique, using contradictory camera movements with similar situations to create a choreographic dynamic.

The second film, The Deviant Comedy, is about a performance that never happened. I was supposed to stage my research for She Is Conann [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Bertrand Mandico
film profile]. It's a film I made before She Is Conann, but I only recently edited it. It’s a sort of anticipation of She Is Conann. I filmed this performance like a war reporter, with a handheld camera, on 16 mm. I worked on the idea of keeping two takes and editing them in parallel, playing with the variations and the rhythm of the actors. So, these films are more like cinematic essays, and the second one could even be considered a documentary.

What attracted you to Stravinsky’s ballet?
I didn’t choose Petrouchka; it was proposed to me by the Aix-en-Provence Festival. I love Stravinsky, but I wasn’t very familiar with Petrouchka before. I had the freedom to do whatever I wanted, but I decided to work with the original libretto. What interested me was the story of a cruel magician with three puppets, and I transposed this into the fashion world, focusing on the abuse of power and the exploitation of models. Petrouchka becomes a woman in my story, a drug-addicted model under the influence of a demonic couturier.

It was unthinkable for me to approach this Russian ballet without addressing the war in Ukraine and the conflict with Russia. I incorporated this warlike and abusive tension into my narrative. Everything takes place underground, and we follow the characters’ adventures until Petrouchka's death. For me, it was important to work on the human condition within the framework of the ballet, with a very strong formal approach.

How does The Deviant Comedy fit into your barbaric cycle?
It was when Philippe Quesne invited me to create a show at the Théâtre des Amandiers. He told me, "Make cinema on stage; it will serve as a show." I took this opportunity to prepare the film She Is Conann that I was writing. I wrote a show that portrayed a double, Octavia, who questions She Is Conann and begins rehearsing with actresses. It was a kind of mise en abyme. We started building sets that would be used for She Is Conann, and I worked with the actresses on the costumes and the script. The show didn’t happen because of COVID-19, but I decided to film what it was supposed to be originally, in Super 16.

Your films often explore the theme of identity transformation. Is this also a topic in Dragon Dilatation?
No, I don’t think identity transformation is the central theme here, although the question of identity is present, with non-gendered characters, etc. For me, the main theme is the martyrdom of actresses and models, the abuse of power and how, in today’s world, this is also present in the second part, where actresses are described as martyrs of cinema. I question this medium of the spectacle because I believe that modelling is also part of the arts. How can these bodies, thrust into the spotlight, be martyred and mistreated by the system? This was the reflection that was important to me. In a world where barbarism is omnipresent, where conflict reigns, I already sensed everything that was happening and would happen while writing this. So, there is a very dark vision of the world. Curiously, I’m now more optimistic because I think we need to be.

You’ve said that making films is a form of political struggle for you. Does that apply to Petrouchka?
Yes, absolutely. Petrouchka is very political. As I mentioned, I had this commission, and there was Russia. There were also protests in France where young people were being beaten by the police, very violent and abusive cops. People are being hurt by the police, and a totalitarian dimension is setting in across Europe. All of this is present in the film; it's about the abuse of power.

There was also the #MeToo movement, the abuse in the modelling and fashion industries. One of the three protagonists, Catherina, is a model who became the spokesperson for abused models within the #MeToo movement in France. It was important that she be there to testify with her body and presence.

Can you talk about your future projects?
I feel like I’m closing a cycle with Dragon Dilatation. My upcoming projects include new feature films that might lean more towards realism. I want to try new things and, as I mentioned earlier, to open the window to optimism.