Plein(s) Écran(s) 2024: Madeleine (by Raquel Sancinetti) | Review
In a film filled with tenderness and poetry about intergenerational friendship, Raquel Sancinetti transforms her weekly encounters with a centenarian woman into an imaginary journey, an adventure that transcends the barriers of time and reality.
Madeleine takes us on an enchanting cinematic journey that has triumphed at film festivals. Raquel Sancinetti’s short film, winner of the FIPRESCI Critics’ Award at the 2023 Regard festival, selected at Hot Docs in 2023, and recently honored with the Best Short Film award at the 2024 FIPADOC in Biarritz, France, was also showcased at the beginning of 2024 during the Plein(s) Écran(s) 2024 festival in Montreal, Quebec.
The film’s ingenious concept, centered around the intergenerational friendship between centenarian Madeleine and the young director, gives rise to a unique cinematic experience. Each week, the two friends meet at the senior residence where Madeleine lives, sharing their life stories. The young woman then proposes a special game to Madeleine, who prefers the comfort of her room: imagining a trip to the beach. In this space of creativity, beautifully portrayed through animated sequences, a magical and poetic relationship unfolds between the two protagonists.
The bold fusion of stop-motion animation and real-life footage creates a visually stunning and delightful aesthetic. In the animated sequences, the characters are made of foam, conveying both a softness and a fragility that resonate with Madeleine’s reality and her perspective on life and death. This is also reflected in the stop-motion technique itself, which, while maintaining fluidity in each movement, suggests a certain dilation of time, allowing the observation of its unfolding, moment by moment. A mechanism susceptible to coming to an end, much like Madeleine’s time, which she knows is limited. These sequences are a major strength of the film, providing a perfect extension of the gentleness emanating from the exchanges between the two characters, filmed in live-action. This artistic combination of real and animated elements manages to capture the essence of the relationship between the two women, adding a touch of sensitivity to each frame. The film oscillates between fiction and reality, creating a universe where imagination becomes the engine of hope and joy.
Centenarian Madeleine remains the heart of the film, embodying an irresistible charm despite being over 100 years old. Her vitality, mischief, and playful spirit permeate the screen and the sound landscape, making her extremely endearing. This is also what fuels a slight pang of regret when the end credits roll: viewers come out of the viewing experience with an insatiable desire to learn more about the connection between the two women, and Madeleine’s life.
The project’s uniqueness emerges in the interplay between the two women, transforming the imagination of a simple trip to the sea into a fantastic escape for Madeleine, confined physically to her retirement home. It’s a celebration of reality drawing from fiction to evoke genuine emotions, touching friendship, and an exploration of intergenerational dialogue. The film stands out for its poetry, the tenderness of intergenerational friendship portrayed on screen, and the delicacy with which it approaches its subject.
Madeleine leaves an indelible imprint of tenderness, laughter, and wonder on the audience. A magnificent cinematic journey that transcends the boundaries of time and reality, offering an exceptional cinematic experience to those fortunate enough to discover it.
