CARNAGES
France, 2002, 130 minutes, Colour.
Lucia Sanchez, Angela Molina, Chiara Mastroianni, Clovis Cornillac, Jacques Gamblin Lio.
Directed by Delphine Gleize.
The writer-director is a 28 year old woman, Delphine Gleize, who says she wondered what happened to a bull after it was killed in the arena. Now we know. But her imagination was not limited to bullfights. We understand better an epileptic five year old girl and her dog-loving parents, a Sicilian would-be actress and a street wandering ex-philosopher, an forensic animal expert and his pregnant wife, a sympathetic teacher and her eccentric mother, a maker of stuffed animals and his eccentric mother. Their paths cross, their lives touch one another in ways that are funny, black humoured, emotional and, generally, quite unpredictable. As a first film this controlled and chaotic film augers well for Delphine Gleize's career.
1. The work of a young director? In her twenties? Her literary background? Her eye for film, for drama? Her sense of humour, black humour? Her sense of lives intersecting? Putting them all together in this collage of a film?
2. The settings of southern Spain contrasting with northern France? The sunlight, the bullring, the hospitals? Contrasting with the homes, the streets, the supermarkets, the laboratories, the countryside? The atmosphere of both places? The importance of the music and the themes - especially the flamenco force of the stamping music?
3. The structure of the film: the introduction of the four central stories? Highlighting characters? Beginning the interactions, building up the mosaic, making the intersections of life more forceful? The dependency, even for life, of one on the other?
4. The title, the expectations of violence and death? The director saying that she used the word "carnage" more as an analogy with mirage? Seeming episodes viewed in one way but being real in a different way? How well did she achieve her aim?
5. The story of Winnie, her drawings, dead animals, animals larger than humans? Her interaction with her teacher? At home, Fred the big dog? Her bonds with her mother and father, their washing the dog, playing games with the dog? The meals, her putting on the horns? Her being epileptic? Back at school, the discussions with her teacher, pointing out the perfect circles in her teacher's drawing? At the supermarket, noticing that the man had a pistol? The crashing of the car, the return home with her parents, Fred dropping dead? The arrival of Carlotta with the man, the dead dog, Carlotta feeling a bit to blame, their having the meal, her eating the spaghetti? The finale with her watching the concert (as she had watched the bullfight at the beginning)? The characters of Winnie, her parents, their love for the dog, buying of the bone, hitting Carlotta's car, their apology? Their future?
6. The opening of the film with the bullfighters, the preparations, the lavish clothes, the postures, the macho style of the sport, with the bull in the ring, Victor and his memories of his father's winning, applauded in the arena, being gored, taken to hospital, in coma, the visit of his friends bringing the ears? His needing a liver? The operation, the transplant and his return and success in the arena? His being watched by the teacher - whose mother's liver had enabled him to live?
7. Alicia and her neurotic behaviour at the airport, wondering about the plane being sabotaged? The return home, her relationship with her husband? With her daughter, the discussions about school? Her driving, erratic when the police went past? (And the later realisation about the police, especially when she was killed by the police van, her killing accidentally of Anna when she was young and her fleeing the police)? Her going to Leall with her daughter, their discussions, her drawing for her daughter because of the lack of memories - and her absence in Spain? The meal, the meat of the bull arriving at the restaurant? The meeting of the man who recognised her, her collapse? Walking with her daughter, being hit, permitting her organs to be used? Her liver enabling Victor to live?
8. The lab assistant and his sexual encounter, going home to his pregnant wife, buying the kebabs? His work examining the eyes of the bull and discovering that it was blind and therefore erratic? The relationships at home, minding the young boy who lost the eye under the sofa? The rush to the hospital with the pizza men helping, the birth of the quintuplets, the fertility help, his being amazed? Years later and the girls growing up, playing with his children?
9. Carlotta, the audition and its brutality, her going to the rebirthing sessions, her hesitation, the comments of the woman in charge, the other couples? The process of rebirthing? Her performance on the television program as the animal, her desperation, not having a boyfriend, her self-image and lack of confidence? In the supermarket, advertising the bull's bones, selling one to the couple? Her car hit, going home and going back to the car to lock it? Meeting the man, his explanations? Going to the family and becoming part of them? The man, his understanding, his skating and his accidents, following her to the rebirthing, sharing the secrets with her? His helping her, their finally skating together?
10. The man with the animals, he dependence on his mother, her eccentricities? Buying the bull's horns? The story of his father? The television and the man getting out of jail and having his mother's head? Killing his mother and all the rabbits and animals running away? Taking the horn to his deaf father, embracing him and his being gored?
11. The director and her question of what happens to a bull after it dies in the arena - the scenes of its being transported by truck, the horns being sold, the scenes in the abattoirs and the making of the meat, the bones, the steaks going to the restaurant?
12. The theme of carnage, death and injury, birth?
