{"id":96740,"date":"2024-05-16T13:48:36","date_gmt":"2024-05-16T20:48:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=96740"},"modified":"2024-07-07T21:53:31","modified_gmt":"2024-07-08T04:53:31","slug":"mouchette-1967","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=96740","title":{"rendered":"Mouchette (1967)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>&#8220;I love the dead; I understand them.&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n<table>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Mouchette-Poster.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Mouchette-Poster-224x300.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"224\" height=\"300\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-96741\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Mouchette-Poster-224x300.png 224w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Mouchette-Poster-96x128.png 96w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Mouchette-Poster-202x270.png 202w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Mouchette-Poster.png 700w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 224px) 100vw, 224px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Synopsis:<\/strong><br \/>\nA teenager (Nadine Nortier) in rural France endures a life of abuse, ridicule, and death all around her.\n<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p>\n<strong>Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Coming of Age<\/li>\n<li>French Films<\/li>\n<li>Living Nightmare<\/li>\n<li>Robert Bresson Films <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Review: <\/strong><br \/>\nRobert Bresson&#8217;s eight feature-length film &#8212; following (among other titles) the <em>GFTFF<\/em>-listed <a href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=9910\"><em>Les Dames du Bois de Boulogne<\/em> (1945)<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=10080\"><em>Diary of a Country Priest<\/em> (1951)<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=12497\"><em>Pickpocket<\/em> (1959)<\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=13224\"><em>Au Hasard, Balthazar<\/em> (1966)<\/a> &#8212; was this adaptation of <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Mouchette_(novel)\">Georges Bernanos&#8217; 1937 novel of the same name<\/a>. As indicated in my synopsis above, with just one notable, brief exception during a bumper car ride at a fair:<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Mouchette-Bumper-Cars.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Mouchette-Bumper-Cars-1024x615.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"384\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-96756\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Mouchette-Bumper-Cars-1024x615.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Mouchette-Bumper-Cars-300x180.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Mouchette-Bumper-Cars-128x77.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Mouchette-Bumper-Cars-768x461.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Mouchette-Bumper-Cars-450x270.png 450w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Mouchette-Bumper-Cars.png 1206w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a> <\/p>\n<p>&#8230; there is nothing but pure misery on display here, made worse &#8212; for me, anyway &#8212; through Bresson&#8217;s intentionally stylized method of having his non-actors simply move through their scenes like automatons. Nortier (who never made another movie) does still manage to tug at our heartstrings, making it all the more distressing to watch her suffering nearly endless indignities and abuses, such as having her head shoved into a piano at school when she doesn&#8217;t get a chorus note just right: <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Mouchette-Piano.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Mouchette-Piano-1024x608.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"380\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-96743\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Mouchette-Piano-1024x608.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Mouchette-Piano-300x178.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Mouchette-Piano-128x76.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Mouchette-Piano-768x456.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Mouchette-Piano-455x270.png 455w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Mouchette-Piano.png 1216w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&#8230; being teased and taunted by her classmates: <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Mouchette-Expose.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Mouchette-Expose-1024x615.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"384\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-96745\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Mouchette-Expose-1024x615.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Mouchette-Expose-300x180.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Mouchette-Expose-128x77.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Mouchette-Expose-768x461.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Mouchette-Expose-450x270.png 450w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Mouchette-Expose.png 1216w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&#8230; caretaking for her infant brother while tending to her mortally ill mother: <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Mouchette-Infant.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Mouchette-Infant-1024x597.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"373\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-96746\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Mouchette-Infant-1024x597.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Mouchette-Infant-300x175.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Mouchette-Infant-128x75.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Mouchette-Infant-768x447.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Mouchette-Infant-464x270.png 464w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Mouchette-Infant.png 1236w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&#8230; and being coerced into lying on behalf of (then being assaulted by) an alcoholic, epileptic poacher.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Mouchette-Looking-Up.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Mouchette-Looking-Up-1024x585.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"366\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-96744\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Mouchette-Looking-Up-1024x585.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Mouchette-Looking-Up-300x171.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Mouchette-Looking-Up-128x73.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Mouchette-Looking-Up-768x439.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Mouchette-Looking-Up-472x270.png 472w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Mouchette-Looking-Up.png 1263w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a> <\/p>\n<p>While this remains among Bresson&#8217;s most acclaimed films, and is beloved by many &#8212; including Ingmar Bergman and Andrei Tarkovsky &#8212; I&#8217;m not among this crowd of admirers.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Notable Performances, Qualities, and Moments:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Stark cinematography<br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Mouchette-Crying2.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Mouchette-Crying2-1024x616.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"385\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-96748\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Mouchette-Crying2-1024x616.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Mouchette-Crying2-300x180.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Mouchette-Crying2-128x77.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Mouchette-Crying2-768x462.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Mouchette-Crying2-1536x924.png 1536w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Mouchette-Crying2-449x270.png 449w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Mouchette-Crying2.png 1902w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Must See? <\/strong><br \/>\nNo. Listed as a film with Historical Importance and a Personal Recommendation in the back of Peary&#8217;s book. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Links: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0061996\/\">IMDb entry<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.timeout.com\/movies\/mouchette-1\">Time Out Capsule Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tcm.com\/tcmdb\/title\/84042\/mouchette#articles-reviews?articleId=719000\">TCM Article<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/trailersfromhell.com\/mouchette\/\">Trailers From Hell Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.criterion.com\/current\/posts\/2577-mouchette-girl-interrupted\">Criterion Essay <\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;I love the dead; I understand them.&#8221; Synopsis: A teenager (Nadine Nortier) in rural France endures a life of abuse, ridicule, and death all around her. Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors: Coming of Age French Films Living Nightmare Robert Bresson Films Review: Robert Bresson&#8217;s eight feature-length film &#8212; following (among other titles) the GFTFF-listed Les Dames du Bois de Boulogne (1945), Diary of a Country Priest (1951), Pickpocket (1959), and Au Hasard, Balthazar (1966) &#8212; was this adaptation of Georges&#8230;<\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more\"><a class=\"btn btn-default\" href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=96740\"> Read More<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">  Read More<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-96740","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-reviews"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/96740","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=96740"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/96740\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":98569,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/96740\/revisions\/98569"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=96740"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=96740"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=96740"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}