Mouchette

A film about a fourteen-year-old girl in the French countryside. Mouchette lives in a small village. Her mother is dying, her father drinks and there is a baby in the house. At school she is mocked; her teacher humiliates her in front of the others and she does not answer back. Lost in the woods one night she comes upon Arsène, a poacher. He is drunk and tells her about something that happened; they stay in his hut until morning. The film follows one day and one night. The narrative explains nothing: what the characters think is not stated and feeling is not shown on the performer's face. That is the director's method. The performers are not professionals and are asked not to act emotion. The camera mostly looks at hands, feet and objects. The best-known passage is the dodgems at a fair; the one moment the girl looks happy, and it is cut short. The source is Georges Bernanos's novel. Nadine Nortier plays Mouchette. Robert Bresson directed. One of the strongest examples of its kind for anyone who likes European cinema and stripped-down storytelling. Before you watch, know this: the film offers consolation nowhere and its ending is hard.