L'ombre des pères

2022 · 93 min · ★ 3.5 · Documentary

The film follows men over several years who reach the age their father was when he died. Among these men are Cyrill Renaud, the son of filmmaker Renaud Victor, who carries the weight of an interrupted work, and Cyril Casmèze, a zoomorphic acrobat who has made working with animality a mode of protection and survival. It is an exploration of grief over the long term, a story of fathers and sons, but also a story of mothers and sons. When the father is gone, the relationship to the mother changes. The film is constructed in two chapters. One that looks back on the brutality of the loss and the trauma, the other that opens up the future, the transformation, the rebirth, now that these men have outgrown their father and allow themselves to live. A third man, Loup, joins them. He too has lost his father and "being a father in turn" has been a way to move forward.

Directed by Christine François · Written by Christine François