We saw The Return of Catherine Corsini, in competition at the Cannes Film Festival. After the controversy, what is the new feature film by the filmmaker, who had previously directed La Fracture, worth?
“On to the movie“! This is the watchword given by the entourage of the Return, preceded by numerous press articles, relating to controversies about the filming.
We relayed the case here, through various articles, and the press release issued by Catherine Corsini and producer Elisabeth Perez. The case, in summary, concerns alleged acts of harassment and a possible breach of the legislation on the protection of underage actors, which almost deprived him of his presence on the Croisette.
While waiting for the investigation to follow its course, the La Fracture team wants to put the film back to the heart. This article is therefore centered on the film itself, a feature film that we were able to discover in Cannes, as part of the Cannes competition.
The pact
After La Fracture, presented two years ago in Cannes, Catherine Corsini is therefore already back with the aptly named Le Retour. A solar film centered on two young women and their mother, all three of whom return to Corsica many years after leaving the island. A mystery hovers over the real reasons for this departure, and more broadly Le Retour creates suspense on the question of the family ties that unite this family, whose father is quickly understood to have died.
The Return is a film rich in its plot and in the themes it carries. Its common thread, in addition to the family mystery mentioned above, is also and above all the chronicle of two teenage girls indulging in all the summer temptations. The latter are embodied by Esther Gohourou (revealed in Mignonnes), and Suzy Bemba (noted in the series L’Opéra). In the role of the mother, we find Aïssatou Diallo Sagna, César for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for La Fracture.
Among the topics covered by the film, we can cite the question of social origins, sexual identity, among others. Met during the Festival, the director and screenwriter Catherine Corsini also underlined her wish to show “stories that we are not used to, to women who are underrepresented, and to give them roles that are not clichéd roles“.”I wanted to offer them romantic roles, real fictional roles that could be played by famous actresses“. And to add: “you have to be able to tell stories that resemble the world in which you live“.
Corsica also occupies an important place in the plot of the film, as a character in its own right. Its sets give a warm light to the film, whose photography is signed Jeanne Lapoirie.
The Return should be released sometime in the summer; its French release date has not yet been officially communicated. In the meantime, the film is competing for the Cannes Film Festival, the winners of which will be unveiled on May 27.
Interview in Cannes on May 18, 2023