RIDM 2023: Perséides (by Laurence Lévesque) | Interview

We interviewed Laurence Lévesque, the filmmaker behind Perséides, a poignant documentary unraveling Julie’s courageous odyssey through the challenges of losing her sight.

In the poignant documentary Perséides, which celebrated its world premiere at the 26th edition of the Montreal International Documentary Festival (RIDM), filmmaker Laurence Lévesque delicately captures a pivotal moment in Julie’s life. At the height of her existence, Julie grapples with the gradual loss of her sight. This inevitable journey into the unknown becomes a narrative of courage and resilience, fueled by the unwavering support of her friend Marina. The film masterfully navigates the challenge of aligning with the transformative experience of this young woman, skillfully tracing the evolution of her vision. Rather than descending into darkness, Julie enters a new realm of perception. In this interview, Laurence Lévesque provides insight into the intimate process of creating Perséides, shedding light on the therapeutic dimensions, aesthetic choices, and the profound narrative of hope amid life’s challenges.

Mehdi Balamissa: Could you tell us about your relationship with Julie, the main character of the film, and her friend Marina, whose intimate moments you capture vividly as Julie goes through a challenging period of losing her vision? How did they agree to let you approach them with your camera?

Laurence Lévesque: Julie, the main protagonist, was my supervisor when I worked in day camps during my youth. After that, we stayed in touch, and I was aware of her degenerative illness, learning about it when she lost an eye. We reconnected during the pandemic, talking a lot over the phone. I sensed she needed to share her story, so we spent a significant amount of time conversing. Eventually, the film project emerged from the desire to capture the last images Julie would see. We decided to spend a weekend in a cabin so Julie could do this, bringing along one of her closest friends, Marina. I didn’t really know Marina before the shoot; I got to know her through the filming. Although we only shot for four days, I had known Julie for several years, so our bond was quite strong.

Mehdi Balamissa: Would you say there was something therapeutic about this film project?

Laurence Lévesque: What Julie and I really wanted to convey with the film was the journey towards resilience. Julie is strong, as many acknowledge, but it’s not always easy, and resilience is not a smooth journey. Hope alternates with doubt, and anxiety can surface at any moment. When we filmed, Julie’s discourse changed almost daily based on how she felt. What I found most interesting was this vulnerability she was experiencing. Even if we’re strong, we have the right to have difficult moments; it’s human and beautiful. Julie’s therapeutic journey is extensive, extending beyond the film. She has lived with this degenerative disease for a long time. We captured a moment in her life, showcasing resilience and the bumps that come with it, over the course of four days. But it’s not just that. The film represents her ongoing process, and Julie is satisfied with it, even as her vision continues to decline. Julie asserts that she would exist even if she couldn’t see anymore. The idea was to pay tribute to this journey, to this transformation. In the end, this film is an identity quest.

Mehdi Balamissa: The film’s aesthetic project is another of its strengths. It seems that with your camera, you not only capture Julie’s loss of vision but especially the transformation in how she perceives the world.

Laurence Lévesque: Absolutely. Although the film heavily relies on direct cinema to capture the intimacy between Julie and Marina, my idea was to make the audience understand that Julie will indeed lose her sight, but it’s not the end of her life. The film is also an opportunity for her to reflect on the most significant trial of her life, but her life continues and will continue differently. And that’s what we wanted to convey visually—starting with Julie, then showing what she sees, and finally what we don’t see but she feels.

Mehdi Balamissa: How did you approach filming, knowing that you are very close to Julie and that she was going through a disconcerting and significant trial in her life?

Laurence Lévesque: I would say I followed my instincts a lot. We were also a very small film crew, just three of us, spending the weekend with Julie and Marina in the cabin. We cooked together, ate together, and then filmed. Things unfolded naturally. We made the film together. Sometimes, it was necessary to step back and not be too intrusive with the camera. There’s one particular scene that was emotionally charged for Julie, so we stopped filming and left them alone with Marina. It’s essential to remain attentive and sensitive to what’s happening around you when making such a film. When making a documentary with people who open up, it’s important to maintain a good ethical approach and think about how we do things.

Mehdi Balamissa: Can you comment on the film’s poetic and evocative title?

Laurence Lévesque: The title Perséides refers to shooting stars and, by extension, hope. The hope of seeing stars that even people with both eyes find challenging to capture. The idea of the last scene of the film is to accompany Julie to see the stars one last time and absorb as many images as possible. We didn’t know if she would be able to see the shooting stars, but the idea is to keep hoping that we will succeed in seeing something beautiful.

Mehdi Balamissa: Julie inevitably loses her vision. As a filmmaker, if you lost the ability to use your camera to view the world, what would you lose?

Laurence Lévesque: What’s interesting with documentaries is that there’s the subject, the people we meet, and the film we make. These are three different entities that together form a whole. It’s not by chance that we’re interested in certain subjects; sometimes, it’s by chance that we meet people, and the final film is the result of all of that. What I find beautiful in documentary filmmaking is learning a lot alongside inspiring characters. Through her resilience, Julie showed me that it’s possible to do things differently. She didn’t choose to lose her sight; she had to completely redirect her life. And she shows me that nothing is inevitable. If I could no longer see the world through my camera, I could probably see it differently. But I hope that doesn’t happen because I feel very privileged to make movies.

Mehdi Balamissa: Finally, could you tell us about your upcoming projects?

Laurence Lévesque: I’m at the very end of the post-production of my first feature-length documentary, scheduled for release in 2024. It’s a documentary set in Japan, following a Japanese-Canadian woman who returns to her hometown, Nagasaki. She goes back to the family home that is about to be sold. It’s a film about heritage through all the memories of her childhood, questioning especially her mother’s past as a survivor of the atomic bomb, a history her mother has never spoken about. It’s a film about memory, the transmission of memory, and the culture of silence.

Acknowledgements: Caroline Rompré (pixelleX).