Faces of an Absent Person
a film by Frédéric Goldbronn, 95'The absent person is the director's missing mother, a figure he summons by questioning the memory of his three sisters and older brother, born of four different fathers and who did not grow up together.
He confronts these memories, too full or too empty, with the traces that his mother left behind, letters and photos without captions or sometimes torn up. He returns to the places she passed through, from the 16th arrondissement to Aubervilliers, via Saint-Germain-des-Prés, investigates the archives and discovers her secret, the painful story of her childhood and youth under the Occupation. These fragments come together, restoring the unity of a life which, in its very disorder, says something about the freedom of a 20th century woman.
"I remain deeply moved by this quest which leaves a woman with her share of shadows and wounds, the price of a freedom that was unacceptable for the time. This act of love, which gathers around Frédéric Goldbronn's mother her five separated children, also questions the family, motherhood and the bonds of siblings. It is magnificent." ANNIE ERNAUX
technical data:
| duration | 95 minutes | |
| camera | Jacques Besse | |
| sound | Samuel Mittelmann | |
| editing | Anne Baudry | |
| music | Elisabeth Bossero | |
| production | dora films / Télé Bocal / Inthemood... | |
| supports | CNC, Communauté urbaine de Strasbourg, Région Alsace, Procirep, Angoa Scam Brouillon d'un rêve | |
| festivals | Etats généraux du documentaire 2013, Traces de Vies Clermont-Ferrand 2013, Festival du film de famille Saint Ouen 2013 | |
| distribution | dora films |
© dora films 2013