PEARL

France, 2018, 82 minutes, Colour.
Julia Fory, Peter Mullan, Arieh Worthalter, Vidal Arzoni.
Directed by Elsa Amiel.

Lea Pearl is the professional name of Julia, a contestant in the Miss Heaven world contest for body builders. She is played by Julia Fory, a Swiss bodybuilder whose only film appearance this is.

Female pumping iron may not be a topic that many audiences would be drawn to. (There are men pumping iron in the background and they are part of the contest.) The screenplay takes us behind the scenes in the days leading up to the contest as well as to the contest itself.

Peter Mullan plays Al, Lea Pearl’s trainer and agent. He has a past. He limps. He is seen doing deals. He is demanding on his protégé who generally follows his commands. He also has connections with other contestants, links with them from the past.

While the film offers a lot of detail about training and the nature of the competition and its demands, in the latter part, it moves to a more human story. Julia gave birth six years earlier to a young boy but has given him over to her partner to bring up. He has been trying to make ends meet, some petty crime. He turns up at the contest, is aggressive in his confrontations with Julia, dismissive of her ambitions, rather repelled by the nature of female body building.

However, the film spends some time with mother and son together, going out for a meal together, her appreciating him, his appreciating meeting his mother, but also appreciating his father’s care for him. He enjoys the meal. He chatters to his mother during the meal, especially about Spiderman, the Hulk and other superheroes, seeing her as something of a superhero.

Julia does return to the competition, participates, is seen afterwards with a cup, giving it to her trainer. However, she packs and leaves the hotel. To where? And a relationship to her son?

1. The title? Julia, her professional name?

2. The world of bodybuilding, male and female? The androgynous nature of this bodybuilding for women? The regimes, the training, diet, medication? Intense exercise? The film showing the detail of this background?

3. The manager, his past, age, limp? His supervision of Julia? His links with the other contestants? His background, his deals? Exasperation with Julia? Her partner, her son?

4. Julia, her professional name, the years of training, submitting to her coach? The effect on her, her ambitions? Her whole life?

5. The arrival of her partner, his manner, the story of the past, the relationship, the birth of their son? Her giving him the boy? His bringing the boy up? Petty crime? Need for money? His intrusion? The challenge to Julia? His dislike of bodybuilding?

6. The boy, his age, devotion to his father, meeting his mother, waiting for her, going for the meal, enjoying her company, his chatter, the superheroes? The return?

7. Julia, returning for the competition, the various sessions and performance on stage, the judges? Her category, a costume, make up, the fierce nails? Going on stage, the poses? Her life’s ambition?

8. Aftermath, with the couple, giving it to the coach? Her packing, leaving – to where?