Candice is a girl who explodes. She has been exploding several times a day for three months and doesn’t seem to stop. Candice is reborn from her explosions like a phoenix and wants less to prepare for the end and more to be present in the moment before she explodes — a metaphor for many things.
My name is Candice.
For 3months, I’ve been exploding daily.
Even public holidays.
Even strike days.
Sometimes even 2 or 3 times a day.
Caroline Poggi and Jonathan Vinel return to IndieLisboa with The Exploding Girl. The filmography of this extraordinary French duo is filled with works marked by a strong hyper-realistic aesthetic influenced by video games. With The Exploding Girl, they once again delve into the margins of French society, using this aesthetic and 3D computer graphics techniques to construct the film’s images. Through the language of artificial worlds, the film addresses the real issues of modern life, focusing on younger groups in an uncertain future, yet holding on to hope for a better world. The music is by Malibu.
Through the voiceover of Candice, who accompanies us throughout the film, we enter her world. The perspective of what is shown on screen is often her gaze. We step into an environment that reveals the turmoil of a French suburb and even Candice’s bedroom. Alone, she fragments. But she feels desire. She seeks to seize the days of an apocalyptic existence marked by a thirst for all sensations.
A film about many things, where many other things also fit: a reflection on the precarious condition of being human, social unrest, or the nature of being a woman. In just 19 minutes, wonderfull cinema unfolds.
This film features scenes that could shock the sensitivity of some viewers. The Exploding Girl is screened together with the film Queens of Drama by Alexis Langlois. Alexis Langlois will be present for a Q&A with the audience.
(Alexandra Ferraz)
