The Woman Seen as a Subject, not an Object — A meeting with film director Renée Beaulieu
Following the screening of Les Salopes or the Naturally Wanton Pleasure of Skin, the latest film made by Renée Beaulieu, screened as part of the QUEBEC CINEMA section, there was a meeting with the film director, during which the audience had an opportunity to talk to the artist and ask questions.
The very first question addressed the issue of the sources of inspiration for the main female character in the film. The film director revealed that she was in the process of writing her doctoral thesis, while making the film, just as the main protagonist, which became the main driving force behind writing a script and making a film about such a subject. Renée Beaulieu made it quite clear, though, that the story is not based on her own experience.
She said that the egalitarian aspect was just as important in making the decision to work on the film. Today, the world of cinematography is dominated by men and they are overrepresented. As for women, we operate on the sidelines. They are much too often treated as a subject, instead of being objects, commented the artist. The people present in the cinema auditorium reacted to her words with silent approval. The meeting moderator was the only person in the room to engage in a polite polemic with the artist, in a humorous way. The film director was particularly interested in doing away with the stereotype in which women are filmed in a kitchen or in bed, and in showing women in the film from the feminine perspective. Renée Beaulieu believes that the majority of film productions show women from the perspective of men. This stance was widely approved by women attending the meeting, who also definitely dominated among the audience.
The Canadian film director also drew attention to the need of promoting sexual education among teenagers. We cannot stay blind to the fact that young people have their needs, and we need to be able to talk about them openly, she added. One can only praise Renée Beaulieu for hitting the bull’s eye with that remark, given the current controversial legislative steps being taken in the Polish parliament.
At the very end of the meeting, the film director declared she would stay in Warsaw for a couple of days, in order to make another film, although that time departing quite significantly from the topic discussed in Les Salopes or the Naturally Wanton Pleasure of Skin. We are looking forward to see the effects of her work.
Ignacy Duszyński
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