Jeannette: The Childhood of Joan of Arc
Directed by: Bruno Dumont
Summary: Billed as a musical comedy, this is a spin on the story of Joan of Arc, the woman who, believing she was commanded by God, fought successfully as a soldier for the French in The Hundred Year’s War and later became a Saint for it. The film fictionalizes Joan’s childhood, depicting her growing up in rural France and first learning of God’s plan for her to help her people. The story then moves to her teenage years, when she finally decides to act on it – with a child actress portraying young Jeannette, before another actress takes the mantle. Her journey is told largely through song and dance, with the tunes being a blend of primarily choir-like softness and heavy metal/rock intensity.
My take: Dumont is a renowned French filmmaker with an extensive filmography, including several award-winning projects. It just doesn’t look like this is one such project. It was the lowest-rated film last I checked the audience score sheet, with about half a week left in the festival. I don’t think it was a bad film per se, it was just so incredibly bizarre. The concept of Joan of Arc’s childhood in musical form is intriguing. I went to see it because she was one of my earliest idols.
But the music choices are not what you expect – and not in a good way. It opens with a strange part-rock-part-gospel number with nuns and Jeannette headbanging… there is so much headbanging throughout the film. Even if a song isn’t hardcore rock/metal, there’s a random bit of headbanging. I wish I could offer some deep interpretation of why, but I don’t have even a guess as to what that was about. There is also a character who sort of just stands in front of Joan and bounces when he rap-talks to her.
It’s like the director’s main mission was just to make something as weird as possible. Mission accomplished. It’s not without its merits – the acting is great, especially Lise Leplat Prudhomme, the young actor who played the child version of Joan. It’s a unique film and well shot, with great scenery, but I can’t help thinking it’s just too obscure for almost anyone but the director to comprehend.
Rating: 2.5
To check it out and decide for yourself, follow the film at: http://www.kimstim.com/jeannette.html
Bruno Dumont's Jeannette: The Childhood of Joan of Arc (Exclusive Trailer) from KimStim on Vimeo.
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