Venice Film Festival: "À fleur de peau", the bodily awakening of a girl in Algeria

Born in Qatar, of Algerian origin, she grew up in France.

Director Meriem Mesraoua presented her very successful short film “À fleur de peau” (“Under Her Skin”) during this edition of the Mostra.

in the Orizzonti section.

© Siegfried Forster / RFI

Text by: Siegfried Forster Follow

6 min

"France, Qatar, Algeria, the three countries forged me".

Director Meriem Mesraoua was selected at the Venice Film Festival with her short film À fleur de peau.

A very subtle and carnal portrait of the bodily awakening of a teenage girl in Algeria.

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The Venice Film Festival has just awarded its

and closed its doors.

The films continue to circulate.

In the short films section, the fifteen selected works came from all over the world: Italy, Germany, United Kingdom, Sweden, Switzerland, Portugal, Lithuania, New Zealand, Colombia, India, Vietnam, South Korea ... Meriem Mesraoua brings together three countries alone: ​​France, Qatar, Algeria.

And we have the impression that it is felt in his very correct way of investing in his film the subject, but especially the gaze, the language and the body of the girl.

A sensitive exploration of the construction of oneself in the eyes of others and of oneself.

Interview.

RFI

Meriem Mesraoua

The project was born from an image: a little girl biting her nails.

It is on this image that the idea was pushed and that the mother-daughter relationship was born.

I wanted to explore this notion of modesty and conformism.

À fleur de peau

is more than a psychology film.

Is it an epidermal drama?

[Laughs].

Yes, the epidermis is a crucial part of the film.

For me, it was important, because it is about the nail, the control of his body, the gaze of the other.

The place of the fingernail allowed this discourse.

At the start of the film, a boy watches a girl.

Afterwards, we see the mother who forbids her daughter Sarah to bite her nails.

There is a very strong relationship between the outside and the inside world.

This relationship of what nature is it?

Is it a dialogue, a confrontation, a fight

It is above all a matter of awakening, of becoming aware of oneself, of awakening towards the other and of realizing that it is the gaze of the other that can sometimes condition ourselves, and that it is about making a choice.

In the case of a girl: either she submits to his gaze, or she decides to reject it and redefine herself.

“On the skin”, by director Meriem Mesraoua.

© The Venice Film Festival 2020

There are very few words, the dialogues mainly involve looks, gestures, feelings.

Is this a film about the unspoken

It was necessary to leave a lot of room for the unsaid.

It is a crucial element in any relationship and it adds complexity to the mother-daughter relationship.

The film shows the fears of the girl and the constraints exerted by society.

Why is the question why she is biting her nails never discussed

It is about an atmosphere, a certain discomfort, an uncomfortable feeling.

It is very difficult to be able to identify the very source of a discomfort and why.

It is this feeling that I wanted to evoke.

The story of the film is set in Algeria.

What is the role of culture and religion in this theme

In this story, it is about a culture which mixes tradition, religion, etc.

And each family does it in their own way.

These elements manifest themselves differently and are ingested and reconstructed by the individual.

For you, is this story rooted in Algeria universal

This self-awareness can be understood by young girls or women from different cultures, Arabs certainly, perhaps beyond.

This is a little girl who is growing up and all the women have been there.

Biting your nails, taping your fingertips, these gestures illustrate the constraints of society and how the girl is entering society.

To get out of this situation, should we also go through the skin and the gestures

Talking about fingernails allows us to image this complex relationship with the body: either we mutilate it, in this case, she bites them, at the same time, it allows a certain control of her body.

A woman can also choose to adorn them, to take care of them.

There are different ways of moving, of redefining oneself in relation to others and to the constraints imposed, whether by society or the family.

If we realize this, we can decide to act on it.

The film is credited France, Qatar, Algeria.

What is your relationship with these three countries

I am currently based in Qatar where I was born.

I grew up in France and I am Algerian too.

So, it's all a jumble.

The three countries forged me, both of them, having grown up, born within these three cultures.

And it's great to have the three countries that build me.

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• Venice Film Festival

• Cinema

• Algeria

• Qatar

• France

• Culture

• Culture Africa

• Womens rights

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