Louise en hiver

It is the end of the holidays at the small French seaside village of Biligen-sur-Mer and the tourists finally make their way home with the last train of the season. All are gone except one old lady, Louise, who fails to make it on time and is left behind. Although she feels at first abandoned, scared and confused by the new situation, as the days go by she progressively acquires self-confidence and discovers to possess some handy survival skills: she builds a shelter on the beach and even grows her own vegetables. This is the beginning of a journey of self-discovery, which is the leitmotif of the entire story. Not only do we follow her in her daily activities but, through a series of dreams, flashbacks and Louise’s own narrative voice (present all along the film as a voice-over), we also uncover scenes from her childhood and life as a young woman.This animated film is a poetic and intimate tale that allows us to perceive different and at times antithetical aspects of ageing. Besides, it partly draws inspiration from Jean-François Laguionie’s own feelings and memories, sharing therefore also some autobiographical elements. In an interview, the author explains how some of the scenes make a reference to his own childhood in the aftermath of WWII: like Louise, he went living with his grandmother in the countryside, close to the sea. The high cliffs swept by the wind, the thick woods and the ruined houses that made up his personal playground are indeed all present in the film. The strong and personal relationship between the director and the subject of the movie prompted him to pick up his brush again and to hand-draw the decors on grain paper.The film premiered in 2016 at the festival of Annecy and has since been enchanting the audience all around the world. (sa)