Irène

Part of the BAMcinematek series New French Films

Thu, Nov 12 at 4:30, 6:50, 9:15pm

Directed by Alain Cavalier

(2009) 83min

"It's hard to imagine a film more simple than Alain Cavalier's Irene, yet one that cuts to an emotional core with such acuity." —The Hollywood Reporter

Cavalier’s intensely personal documentary chronicles his attempts to resurrect the memory of his late wife—who was killed in a car accident in 1972—by revisiting the remaining places and things that remind him of her. A beautiful actress, yet a deeply troubled, masochistic woman while she was alive, Irène’s specter haunts every frame of this unsparing examination of grief and catharsis.

Screen Daily on Irène
"Using minimal resources, Irène is an example of pure first-person film-making. All we get is one man, his camera, a few places and objects – and Cavalier’s memories and thoughts, brought to the screen with intense but restrained intimacy." More

The Hollywood Reporter on Irène
"To dismiss this as a home movie would be a serious error, not only because its author is an accomplished filmmaker, but more important, Cavalier invites an audience participation that lets both him and his viewers struggle to understand a central figure who is completely absent." More