Catherine Breillat’s Fat Girl (A ma soeur!, 2001), underwent a scourge of negative reviews upon its release. Critics and spectators dismissed its shocking images and finale which, on cursory glance, seemed to have little to do with the story up to that point. Film scholars have made much more of it, noting the affective charge of film, its structural and stylistic brilliance, and even its very subtle historical and political critique. For our purposes as curators of a series of fictional films on adolescent sexuality, without precisely neglecting Fat Girl’s merits as a work of art—inseparable as it is from what interests us—the affective charge and response of the audience is most valuable as a critical tool to evaluate and theorize film(s).
Certainly Fat Girl is disturbing and a cause of discomfort. Two of the longest scenes has Anaïs, the 12-year-old sister of three years older Elena, witness the latter’s initiations into sexual intercourse. As spectators we too come too close in contact with Elena and Fernando, an older college student she has seduced while on a family vacation. Further, when Anaïs’ prophetic statement at the beginning of the film is realized, namely her wish to lose her virginity in an emotionless embrace, we are appalled by her apparent indifference bordering on satisfaction. But the film’s ending of sexual violence registered less with viewers as the prior shock.
In Martin Barker’s research on Fat Girl, personal identification was noted as a psychological conflict: female spectators understood Elena’s fragility and weakness, with her innocence so easily stolen by a handsome older man who knew how to say the right words, and male spectators saw themselves in Fernando and his sophistry. According to Barker’s research, identification calls us to attention, forces us to look at images that frighten, disturb and remind us of our own sexual experiences.
It cannot be stressed enough that this film has nudity, sexuality, violence and sexual violence. For this reason our regularly scheduled 8pm start has been moved to 9pm. If such a controversial film has an appeal, join Trent Film Society on Thursday, October 4th, 9pm, Artspace, 378 Aylmer Street North. Prior to the screening, at 8:30pm, we have a general meeting open to everyone to discuss the present and future of Trent Film Society.
