Night cap with Blind Sex
Interview with Sarah Santamaria-Mertens, director of Blind Sex
Why did you decide to open the film with a love scene that is imposed on the character?
That scene is the first one that I had in mind while writing the script and it remained intact through the final editing. I liked the idea of entering the story through sound, and then contrasting that with an image that we’re not expecting – the actress’ face and her strange look. We don’t necessarily know that she’s blind yet, but that quickly makes it clear that her relationship to the world and to her surroundings is at the heart of the film. And perhaps also that her struggle is probably in trying to have her own experiences and to stop being subjected to other people’s.
Entering the film through her face allows the viewer to be directly at her level, to very quickly share a moment of intimacy with her and feel that the moment her sister is experiencing just above her head is an external element. Everything is filtered through Louise’s perception, and as viewers, we are immediately invited to “see with her”.
The opening is meant to shock, but in the end it pretty much sums up where she is in her relationship to sexuality, which we can easily imagine she experiences vicariously, through her sister. And likewise, her sister behaves exactly as though she isn’t there and it becomes clear that, paradoxically, the fact of being blind makes her invisible.
What interested you about our relationship to the body and to nudity?
From my childhood up to about the age of twenty, I spent part of each summer in a nudist colony. It’s a peculiar world that is all about tolerance. I wasn’t particularly interested in filming nudity, but more like a relationship to others. When everyone is naked no one checks anyone out. Nudity is no longer an issue; the idea is for everyone to be equal despite our physical differences, and whatever our complexes.
But there definitely was an issue with filming the naked bodies: avoiding exhibitionism. I wanted to get to the point where we forget their nudity, where it becomes a norm and isn’t voyeuristic. It was important for me to keep some modesty. The characters are naked but they aren’t indecent.
And what about the impact of the gaze and of touch in romantic relations?
I wasn’t especially interested in showing how we fall in love when we can’t see, but rather how the fear of the gaze of others, or disabilities, could hinder meeting people. Louise is blind, but that doesn’t prevent her from being inhibited. She’s afraid of being ridiculous and of letting herself go. She doesn’t know what image she projects to others. Meeting Léa liberates her. With her, she feels good since she doesn’t consider her a blind person but a distinct individual. That relationship of equality was essential to me, more than any desire to show “how a blind person sees and feels”. All the same, of course, I did work to create a “sensation of touch” and be precise regarding her sound space.
And lastly, why were you interested in sexuality as it is experienced through a blind’s person’s perception?
When I was younger, during the holidays, I spent a week with a group friends that included a blind woman. My first reflex was to wonder if we were going to have to wash and clothe her… it was stupid! Then I wondered how the blind experience sexuality, and homosexuality in particular. I wasn’t particularly interested in the physical procedures themselves, but in how they dealt with society’s reactions. The minute disabilities come into the picture, management becomes an issue. We want to protect the person, or else we simply do not admit that their sexuality exists because the idea is too disturbing.
When we’re afraid, we wall things off for protection. So for me, hers is a story of emancipation, a character frees herself from the gaze of others and re-appropriates her own body.
The other human relations in the film are treated with much greater simplicity. Why did sexuality have to be special?
I was interested in using sex to talk about independence and autonomy. Louise’s emancipation goes through various stages that, in a certain sense, culminate in sexuality since that is her great moment of reaching out to the other, and laying herself bare. That’s what led to the special treatment, in order to be present at those moments, as close as possible to her experience.
Any cinematic coups de cœur in the past year you’d like to tell us about?
Toni Erdmann immediately comes to mind. That’s a truly generous film, one of those that do a world of good. You can tell that everyone gave their all without hesitation, every scene takes risks. And it makes you laugh and cry at the same time! That breadth is rare, perhaps even more so in comedies.
If you’ve already been to Clermont-Ferrand, could you share with us an anecdote from the festival? If not, what are your expectations for this year?
This will be the first time and with a first film to boot! I’m already very happy to be a part of this Festival and I’m looking forward to what it has in store for me.
Are any other screenings scheduled?
Yes, it was selected to participate in a competition at the Angers Festival Premiers Plans.
Are you taking part in any other events during the Clermont-Ferrand Short Film Festival (Espressos, conferences, other)?
Yes, I’ll be at the Espresso meetings. Moreover there will be a public reading of the script by the actors Marie Petiot and Eugénie Derouand, who were part of the Adami Talents at Cannes in 2016. Following the reading there will be a discussion on directing actors on Friday 10 February 2017 at 10 am in the Conchon room.
Blind Sex is being shown in National Competition F12.
