On the occasion of the release of “Stella is in love”, here are five things to know about this sensual film evoking teenage emancipation and the Paris of the 1980s.
Stella is in love with Sylvie Verheyde
With Flavie Delangle, Marina Foïs, Benjamin Biolay…
What is it about ? 1985, first summer without the parents. The sun, the girlfriends, the Italians, the dream. Back to reality, for Stella, it’s the year of the baccalaureate. And even if she says she doesn’t care, she knows very well that it could decide her whole life… Rather die than take over her parents’ bar. Especially since, at home, her father broke up with another, leaving the debts and her mother depressed. Fortunately there are outings, nights, encounters, and then love to dream of another world.
A former New Star!
Michael Croto
Dixon plays André, who falls in love with the heroine. Sylvie Verheyde spotted him during the show The New Star, in which he participated and in which Benjamin Biolay was part of the jury. Even if he was eliminated, his resumptions of “Ave Cesaria” of Stromae and of Georgia On My Mind by Ray Charles did not go unnoticed… Renowned for knowing how to unearth the best talents, the famous rapper Booba offered him to sign a contract under his label 7 Corps, which the young man with the sweet voice accepted.
The director recalls: “I discovered this young boy, who sings very well and who also happens to be an excellent dancer – which I realized while browsing his Instagram account. I liked his sweetness, his elegance, which I found perfect for interpret André. André is black, because it’s an autobiographical fact, but what amused me above all – and this is political – is that he is the bourgeois in my story! Stella feels really prol in front of him during their first discussions. She realizes that a whole part of the culture escapes her.”
Birth of the project
Michael Croto
When Sylvie Verheyde shot Stella in 2008, she had no idea of writing a sequel. The desire for this first film was triggered by her son’s schooling, which was very different from that which she knew. The director explains: “I wanted to show that, even being a bad student, high school had given me an opening to the world.”
“For Stella is in love, it was still by observing what my son was going through that I wanted to retrace my own steps. Today, we see that the ax that separates teenagers and brings out class differences social comes after the baccalaureate, while in my time, it was in high school that it was felt.
“It is also true that today there is less social diversity in Parisian high schools than in my time. In Stella, I therefore showed a young girl who was learning the codes of the bourgeois class. And in her suite, my character feels this social class difference very strongly.”
Who for Stella?
Michael Croto
For the title role, Sylvie Verheyde chose Flavie Delangle, whom she discovered thanks to Marlon, a César-nominated short film in which the young actress plays: “Flavie comes from Reims and has done a lot of GRS.”
“She had an ease with her body which was invaluable for the role. The fact that she is not Parisian helped her to understand the discrepancy that Stella feels. And her experience on the series Skam taught him to spin fast”says the filmmaker, adding:
“I knew I could count on her professionalism, which allowed her to help actresses who were just starting out. It was very easy between us. Flavie understood the role instantly. From her, I built the group of girlfriends.”
Dedication
Michael Croto
The film is dedicated to the mother of Sylvie Verheyde, who confides: “Marina Foïs is very faithful to my mother in this film, even though the two of them don’t have the same background at all. The strength of proletarians is knowing how to laugh at delicate situations. Stella and her mother are fighters. Despite the galleys, they move forward. Her mother passed that on to her: it’s her way of pulling her daughter up. This film is also a tribute.”
Shower Baths
Michael Croto
The underground world that is the Bains Douches is a universe where social barriers are abolished and where everyone plays a role. Within this environment, the character of Stella can reinvent herself, as Sylvie Verheyde explains: “Les Bains in the 1980s attracted all kinds of people and music – rap, new wave, etc.”
“Gradually, the clubs became categorized and were frequented by tribes. I wanted to show this diversity, all these people from different backgrounds who found themselves in this place, at that time. I shot at Les Bains, in the setting You can see the authentic tiles on the floor and on the walls. For me, the Baths were a magical place.”
“But I also know that it could be a gloomy place. Drugs circulated there and I mention it discreetly. I wanted us to feel this danger, against which Stella is able to protect herself, having grown up in a bar and having a sharp idea of what addiction is.”