Élise is a young classical ballet dancer who has spent practically her entire life on stage. Shortly before a performance, she sees her partner in an affectionate attitude with another partner, she loses concentration and soon suffers a spectacular fall before the astonished gaze of the public. The sprain that she suffers from her must be treated well with rehabilitation and rest, the doctor warns her.
If you want to recover, at least you must spend two years without dancing again. So he goes to the physio, ultimately the boyfriend of the girl who has hooked up with Élise's boyfriend. The pain of both subsides between therapeutic massages and a few laughs to ease the tense situation. One day, the young woman goes with her friends to see a contemporary dance performance in the street and it catches her eye. Between conversations with her father and her sisters and a new perspective for the future on the horizon, she will learn to reconnect with her body to reinvent herself.
With One Step Forward, which was nominated for nine César Awards, the French Cédric Klapisch combines drama and comedy in a fantastically choreographed show led by the elegant dancer Marion Barbeau.
Where does this story co-written alongside Santiago Amigorena come from?
I have always loved dance and have been a spectator since I was a teenager. When I started in the world of filmmaking I filmed a lot of dance. I have filmed shows in opera and contemporary dance and I discovered what is behind it. I wanted to take this attraction further to make a fiction using what I personally like as a spectator and director.
What does classical ballet mean to you? The choreographies he has filmed are beautiful...
In fact, I discovered ballet very late and I did it through contemporary dance with a company where there was a dancer who made me interested in dance. The magnificent thing about the classic is its strong relationship with geometry. In it, the pause, the form, trace lines are sought, while the contemporary one is much more chaotic, energetic and animal.
Did you always have Marion Barbeau in mind for the lead role? This is her first experience as an actress, how has it been working with her?
The question at the beginning was whether to choose an actress who had done dance or a dancer who knew how to interpret. Very quickly during the casting I realized that you couldn't ask an actress to play that part. Marion must have been dancing for 25 years and she has nothing to do with someone who has been doing it for 5 or 7 years. In the end I saw about 20 dancers and Marion immediately prevailed. She dances both classical and contemporary. On the other hand, she knows how to act and she has a lot to do with the fact that she loves movies and she knows what she is.
After suffering a heartbreak and a sprain that takes her away from ballet, her life takes a huge turn. It's not easy to accept that she may not be able to dance again. Does she believe that in life there are always second chances?
I think at first she doesn't believe it. It's like telling a pianist that she won't be able to play again because of a hand injury. It's maddening. But resilience allows you to go beyond obstacles and hope returns. And then there is also the faith that it is possible to have another life and that second life was not so far from the first. It is a progressive path towards an inner reconstruction. Something similar happened with the pandemic. People didn't know if we would see the light at the end of the tunnel. And we saw it. Very often in moments of crisis we have the impression that the bad is going to last, but then we observe a little light that is growing. The movie tells that. No matter how many crises we go through, there is always light at the end of the tunnel.
Élise mentions the role of women in ballet and says that they always have a tragic fate. Do you think classical dance is sexist?
Yes, it's a bit sexist. This is what many of the dancers I have interviewed have told me. In ballet it is classified by genre. It tries to separate the man and the woman, something that does not happen in contemporary dance, which is much more fused. I really like the phrase that appears in the film "it's difficult to be a feminist in a tutu" because it shows that there is an image of femininity that belongs to the classic and is somewhat outdated. It is today's problem. Feminism today is not like the feminism of the seventies. The problem is how can a woman be feminine in the way that she would like men to be and at the same time have equality between the sexes. We want to be the same but from the gender point of view we are different. At the same time we also need to have a notion of difference while we are together. Classical dance raises good questions about it.
I would like to talk about the character of the lame woman, her relationship with Élise and what she says to her: "Being well is not normal. It's lucky." Do you confirm your words?
Yes. Feeling good is not only lucky, it is almost a privilege. We have seen it with the social crises in France. 60% of the population lives on the minimum wage or less and there are not so many people who have it easy. Basic things like having a house, hot water or heating are becoming a privilege. You realize that in Spain or France we are privileged when compared to other parts of the world. You have to be aware that when you are well you are very lucky and you cannot complain.
They also talk about how parents hide their feelings and don't know how to say 'I love you'. Élise's mother was very marked but she finds the strength to talk about her feelings with her mother, who has not been able to be affectionate with her daughters...
Yes, unfortunately it is something that happens a lot. For example, I've seen the Oscar winners and Michelle Yeoh's character is very tough as a mother in All at Once Everywhere. When she realizes that she is able to solve the problems. And here the father adores his three daughters, but he has a hard time saying it. And when he says so, things go much better. It's something basic. We should say 'I love you' more to our children.
The film talks about the importance of feeling good with the body. To what extent do you think it is vital? How do you get along with yours?
(Laughter) Well I feel older and I don't feel so good about my body anymore. When I was young I did a lot of sport and now I do less and less. That's why people like Élise, with that wonderful body attitude, make me dream.
Do you prefer classical ballet or contemporary dance? Because?
Before, I would have said without a doubt that contemporary dance, but I admit that I like classical dance more and more. It must be that I'm getting old (laughs). I understand better now the beauty of dance and classical music, before it seemed a bit old-fashioned. Bach has been around for a long time and is still here. There is a kind of beauty in classicism. In the choreographies that I have filmed at the beginning of the film we see pieces that border on perfection. They are very universal and I really appreciate them.
What project are you working on right now?
I have three projects at once. I just finished a series, Greek salad, which will premiere on Amazon Prime on April 14. I am also writing a script for a feature length fiction and I am going to direct an opera, The Magic Flute. It will be in October at the Champs-Élysées theater in Paris. I am enthusiastic.
