‘I’ll never be a normal girl’, Alice warns her boyfriend, Felix, halfway through Lucie Borleteau’s striking debut feature. Certainly, Alice is a woman in a man’s world: a tough, single-minded and sexually confident ship’s engineer. Joining the crew of a container ship (the ironically named Fidelio) full of libidinous young men doesn’t faze her in the least, but when she discovers that the captain is the ex-boyfriend she jilted years ago, Alice is forced to decide to what – or who – she should be faithful.
It’s not hard to see why Ariane Labed’s committed performance has been showered with acclaim. As Alice, Labed (Alps, Attenberg) is never less than convincing, and ably supported by Melvil Poupaud (Laurence Anyways) as the ship’s captain, and Anders Danielsen Lie as her landlocked boyfriend Felix. Borleteau directs her own screenplay with pace and confidence, capturing the unique atmosphere of life aboard ship, a hothouse of sexual frustration where everyone is leading double lives and ‘what happens at sea stays at sea’.
Alistair Daniel
Jameson Dublin International Film Festival
With the support of the Alliance Français
Please note that the festival is for over 18s only
With special guest Lucie Borleteau
