This Saturday, the premiere of the film “The Dreamed Child” took place at the Rialto Cinema, located in Nice. An event attended by the director, Raphaël Jacoulot.
Raphael Jacoulot was at the Rialto cinema this Saturday evening for the premiere of his fourth feature film, The Dreamed Child. It was in Nice that the filmmaker began his promotional tour in France, as it was his first date. The audience was able to watch the film and then discuss it with him.
Synopsis: “Since childhood, François has devoted his life to wood. The wood of the forests of Jura, which he knows better than anyone. He runs the family sawmill with his wife Noémie, and both dream of having a child without succeeding. Then François meets Patricia, who has just moved to the area. A passionate affair begins. Soon, Patricia becomes pregnant. François wavers…” according to the Allociné website. A film featuring Jalil Lespert, Louise Bourgoin, and Mélanie Doutey.
Paternal Desire
“What interests me is to tell the story of the desire to have a child, from the male perspective,” analyzes the director. The film is thus built around the paternal desire of François, a yearning that is impossible with his wife Noémie but becomes possible with his lover Patricia, yet ends in failure. The story unfolds in a very strong context since it is set in the heart of a family business, where the idea of transmission, of existing between generations, is very important.
A Trapped Character
The character of François is caught in a form of non-choice since his childhood. He grew up in a family context and took over his father’s sawmill without ever reflecting on what he truly wants. His surroundings decide for him. “He loves the environment he is in, but has never truly asked himself if he is in the right place,” emphasizes the director. Throughout the film, he will have an awakening that leads him to a “fatal process.” On the other hand, the female characters are quite strong figures. For example, Noémie, (played by Mélanie Doutey), manages the business and involves François in an adoption project, even if it is not what he desires. “She has a certain way of imprisoning him, unconsciously, she is heading towards her own ruin, by not listening to him,” explains Raphael Jacoulot.
A Return to Roots
This film is a true return to roots for the director, as it is filmed in the Haut-Doub department along the Swiss border. A place he knows well, as it is where he spent his childhood. “It was important for me to film in landscapes that are dear to me,” he expresses. Although he now lives in the Paris region, he has a desire to return to his region to tell this story, “I wrote this film thinking a lot about this place,” adds the filmmaker. It is also a return to his family, as his relatives still live in the Doub. “My family was very present on the set, and some even acted in the film, like my brother,”.
