Sometimes a desire for a film is linked to a memory, a childhood sensation that the director tries to reproduce, such as in this clip, where a schoolboy called René commits an act of truancy.
René has ventured into the forest to retrieve his schoolbag, which he has defiantly thrown into the river. He makes his way through the wood which becomes deeper and more enclosed as he progresses through it. His journey becomes an expedition through which he experiences a moment of epiphany and revelation. At the beginning of the clip, we are presented with shots of René moving forward with difficulty, clambering through the undergrowth, which alternate with tracking shots that seem to skim over the water, before straying into the foliage. René is soon immersed up to his waist, his gaze attracted by the balletic dance of a water snake which he decides to follow. The sound is a mixture of birdsong, insect noises, the rustling of leaves and the murmur of the stream. Darius Milhaud’s music gradually fades up on the soundtrack as he progresses through and is eventually won over by the magic of this luxuriant woodland. René finds his schoolbag but seems to give up on the idea of turning back. His face fills the screen as he seems to hear a mysterious call. Above him, the sun's rays form a cathedral of light: the Queen of the Night from the Magic Flute rings out. The voice seems to hesitate as he sits in the clear waters of the river. It then resounds through the space as he surrenders himself completely to the coolness of the current, arms crossed, and merges completely with nature at the end of a totally immersive sensory experience.
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Sometimes a desire for a film is linked to a memory, a childhood sensation that the director tries to reproduce, such as in this clip, where a schoolboy called René commits an act of truancy.
René has ventured into the forest to retrieve his schoolbag, which he has defiantly thrown into the river. He makes his way through the wood which becomes deeper and more enclosed as he progresses through it. His journey becomes an expedition through which he experiences a moment of epiphany and revelation. At the beginning of the clip, we are presented with shots of René moving forward with difficulty, clambering through the undergrowth, which alternate with tracking shots that seem to skim over the water, before straying into the foliage. René is soon immersed up to his waist, his gaze attracted by the balletic dance of a water snake which he decides to follow. The sound is a mixture of birdsong, insect noises, the rustling of leaves and the murmur of the stream. Darius Milhaud’s music gradually fades up on the soundtrack as he progresses through and is eventually won over by the magic of this luxuriant woodland. René finds his schoolbag but seems to give up on the idea of turning back. His face fills the screen as he seems to hear a mysterious call. Above him, the sun's rays form a cathedral of light: the Queen of the Night from the Magic Flute rings out. The voice seems to hesitate as he sits in the clear waters of the river. It then resounds through the space as he surrenders himself completely to the coolness of the current, arms crossed, and merges completely with nature at the end of a totally immersive sensory experience.