Peau d’homme, coeur de bête

After an absence of fifteen years, Coco returns to his family clan, consisting of his mother, his younger brother Alex and his older brother Francky, a womanising cop who has been sacked after his marriage ended up on the rocks. Then there is five-year-old Aurélie, who immediately falls for the stranger, and her elder sister, who is suspicious and foresees problems. When tragedy crosses their path, the adults fight for all they are worth. The family implodes, with all that means to both young girls. Hélène Angel already made an impression with several short films characterised by a formal style and obvious acting pleasure while reality was approached in a light-hearted and penetrating way. With Peau d’homme, coeur de bête the director wanted to look back on experiences from her own youth, a primitive world in which events she had no control over shaped her personality and her opinions. A film about the destructive effect of violence on a family that, according to David Rooney (Variety), is reminiscent in its uncompromising realism of films like La vie de Jésus and Plus que hier, moins que demain. The film won the Golden Leopard at the Locarno festival for the best film and a Bronze Leopard for Serge Riaboukine in the role of Francky. The directing of the two young girls was highly praised.