Pauline Etienne to star in Paradis Perdu

by Fabien Lemercier

24/09/2010 - For the past two weeks the small town of Céret in the Eastern Pyrenees has been the shooting location of French/Belgian co-production Paradis Perdu, the debut feature by Eve Deboise. The cast line-up features Pauline Etienne (Black Heaven [trailer, film focus]; nominated for a Best Female Newcomer César in 2010 for Silent Voices [trailer]), Olivier Rabourdin (Of Gods and Men [trailer, film focus]), Florence Thomassin (Turk’s Head [trailer]) and Ouassini Embarek.

As a scriptwriter, Deboise has worked for Rithy Panh (The Rice People, One Evening After the War), Maria de Medeiros (April Captains and Christophe Blanc (An Outgoing Woman).

Written by the director in collaboration with Nadine Lamari and Anne-Louise Trividic as a consultant, the plot centres on a father, Hugo, and his teenage daughter, Lucie, who live and work in a remotely-situated tree nursery. Lucie’s mother disappeared over a year ago, and not for the first time. It’s the summertime and Hugo and Lucie are occupied with the needs of the trees and plants. The work fills the void of the woman who has abandoned them, a thirst for tenderness for Lucie and sexual frustration for the father. The absence strengthens their relationship, making it tender yet stifling and reassuring yet dangerous. Lucie needs to escape. Along comes Akim, a young, illegal seasonal worker, who reveals to her another world but against his will also becomes embroiled in the troubled family affair. One day, the runaway mother returns and Hugo, in a fit of uncontrolled rage and jealousy, locks her away.

Produced by Nathalie Mesuret for Blue Monday Productions, Paradis Perdu is co-produced by Belgian outfit Fontana and France 3 Cinéma. The film will receive advances on receipts from the National Film and Moving Image Centre (CNC), backing from the Belgian French Community, presales from Ciné Cinéma, as well as funding from the Languedoc Roussillon region and the GAN Foundation. Shooting is set to wrap up on October 25. Les Films du Losange will distribute the title in French theatres and handle international sales.

(Translated from French)