Renowned for the highly graphic and fantastical universes of their short films (from Domestic Tale to With Thelma, without forgetting Lucha Libre), the duo composed of Raphaël Balboni and Ann Sirot are commencing filming today, 8 July, on their first full-length picture, A Moonstruck Life, a bittersweet comedy on semantic dementia, starring Jean Le Peltier (who also featured in their short films), Jo Deseure (Un homme à la mer [+leggi anche:
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scheda film]) and Lucie Debay (Our Struggles [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Guillaume Senez
scheda film], Melody [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Bernard Bellefroid
scheda film], and soon Cosmogony).

The film follows in the footsteps of Alex, who’s in his thirties, and those of Suzanne, his mother, who’s an elegant and charismatic lady in her sixties and the director of a contemporary arts centre in Brussels. But, little by little, Suzanne starts dropping the ball, and in quite spectacular fashion.

One day, during an appointment with the neurologist, Alex finally understands why: Suzanne has developed a fatal neurodegenerative illness which affects her behaviour: semantic dementia. She begins to steal cars, she cuts her neighbours’ hair while they sleep and she makes her own bank notes so as to buy herself some cigarettes. Her status is transformed from that of a Mother into that of an unmanageable child. And it’s Alex and his partner Noémie who will have to take on the role of parents.

Much like in their short works, the filmmakers are looking to experiment in terms of both writing and production in this new venture. The title is one of a group of projects supported by the Wallonia-Brussels Federation Film and Audiovisual Centre, following a call for lighter projects launched by the latter. The team will use their time constraints and restricted funds to create a highly focused film, revolving around the everyday places visited by Suzanne and her loved ones and getting as close as possible to the words which escape her.

A Moonstruck Life is produced by Hélicotronc, who were recently credited for two seasons of Belgian series The Break, as well as Jean-Philippe Martin’s Sonar [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Jean-Philippe Martin
scheda film] and Géraldine Doignon’s Un homme à la mer.