LA MANTE RELIGIEUSE/ MANEATER
France, 2012, 85 minutes,. Colour.
Mylene Jampanoi, Marc Ruchmann, Genevieve Casile.
Directed by Natalie Saracco.
The original title was La Mante Religeuse (2012, director Natalie Surocco), perhaps something of a play on words, praying mantis, praying mantis.
The film is a portrait of the young bisexual artist in a lesbian relationship, with the obviously symbolic name, Jezebel. When she attends her father’s funeral, dressed provocatively to her mother’s disapproval, she finds father David who conducts the funeral and attractive man. She tells her friend that she will seducing and take his Roman, as a souvenir. She phones him, pretends to have a friend who wants to be baptised, agrees to become part of the choir after she goes to mass, keeps up the pretence in a brazen kind of way.
The priest is an interesting character. He is in his 30s, tall and good-looking, bearded, smoking, yet with sympathetic words at the funeral, a good religious language. He talks like a priest. However, in his talk about his relationship with God, about his sense of vocation, his dialogue is rather text bookish in the sense that it has a kind of abstract piety and earnestness rather than being grounded in sound psychological self-awareness.
He speaks sympathetically to Jezebel who listens to his sermon on Mary Magdalen, his thinking that she was troubled by some Demons, not kind to herself and, maybe, she has the sole of St.
One of the interesting features of the film is that shows, to a large extent, father David in his pastoral work, his outreach to the poor, to people on the street, collecting clothes and distributing them, contact with the hungry. When Jezebel accompanies him, she becomes somewhat confused, not having thought about him in ministry and the good that he was doing.
When she reveals the truth to him and says she is sold to be saved, she told him about his masculinity, about his sexuality. the film shows him praying, and earnestly. She perseveres, collapses in the church, stays overnight in the presbytery – he asking her to respect the church and she replying that he was gorgeous when he was angry. “man’s madness, God’s vision”.
The surprising sequence has David going to visit the Carmelite monastery in Normandy where he goes to pray. Jezebel pressure rises the acolyte of the parish, a man formerly down and out but saved by David, standing, Stand, who warns off Jezebel saying that while David saved him, he wants to save David. The Carmelite sisters are particularly welcoming of Jezebel, especially the superior who shows great kindness and listens to her. at the superior appreciates the situation but it is sympathetic in trying to help Jezebel.
David explains his vocation to Jezebel, that he used to play mass in the cellar when he was a little boy, that he fell in love with God, God is an absolute, that he really loves God and wants to be as one with him. He explains that stand was the first of the lost sheep that he was able to help.
Jezebel continues to pressurise him, and he becomes desperate, praying more intensely, taunted by her that he doesn’t know how to love. David asked God not to give up on him, to deliver him from that woman, her red hot thoughts, “the smell that I carry in my blood, the eyes that I obey, the words from her mouth”.
Then David, in desperation, does visit jail Jezebel in her studio, he says he can no longer pray, that she is the kind of woman that has been dreading all his life. .He begins a passionate encounter with her but comes to his senses, sees her crucifix, stocks, whips, hit his head against the wall, leave saying that he never wants to see her again.
In many ways, the screenplay takes the easy way out, David writing on his bike, speaking as he always did, a close-up on his face which shows a kind of joy and peace just before he crashes. The ending of the film is not without grace is Jezebel, shocked, goes to visit the Carmelite’s where she is received by the superior.
This is a film from France, with a French sensibility about the church, about priests and their ministry, about clerical celibacy. What might have been exploitative, finishes as a quite insightful drama.
1. The title? The praying, preying mantis? The English title, Maneater? Expectations?
2. France, the city, the artist’s studio, the loft, art shows, church, funerals, presbytery? Relationships? The priest and his charitable works? The church? The Carmelite convent in Normandy and its austerity, chapel?
3. The portrait of Jezebel, her symbolic name, in action? Lesbian, bisexual behaviour, her partner, the tensions between them, love, exploitation? Her flaunting her attitudes? Going to the funeral, the criticisms of her mother, her inappropriate dress, talking to the priest, attracted to him, her stated aim of seduction? His Roman collar as a souvenir?
4. Father David, young, kind, his manner at the funeral, the eulogy, his prayers? Becoming Jezebel’s target? Her talk, phone calls, visits, going to Mass, discussions about the choir, the choir mistress and her condemnation, her not singing well, leaving the choir? Father David and his sermon on Mary Magdalene? The Mary Magdalene theme and forgiveness?
5. David, his activities, the range of charities, on the street, the poor, distributing the clothes, the hungry?
6. Jezebel going with him, the effect on her, surprise and his outreach?
7. Jezebel and her effect on David, doing good, his cautions, his kneeling and praying? His devotion and pious language about himself, about God, about his vocation?
8. His going to the Carmelite’s, Jezebel and her discussions with Stan, Stan’s warning Jezebel off, his being saved by David, wanting to save him, Jezebel and the Carmelites, the nun receiving, the superior and the talk, David and his unwillingness, staying the night?
9. The art auction, the printing, the people gathered? Her accusation that Stan stole the money, David believing her, the friends falling out?
10. The portrait of the nuns, the contemplative style, friendship, welcome, the religious exercises, David at home at the convent? The effect on Jezebel?
11. Jezebel, telling David the truth, his dilemma, his passion, going to visit Jezebel, the beginnings of the sexual encounter, intense, his coming to his senses, leaving, on the motorbike, the close-up of his face, the crash? The later comments on his speeding?
12. The effect on Jezebel, going to the convent, being received by the superior?
13. An interesting portrait of the priest, of a predatory woman, the realities of clerical celibacy?
