Veloma

Philippe finishes last by a large margin in a solo sailing race round the world. When he reaches La Rochelle two months after the winner, he has difficulty adjusting to life on land, even though he is well fixed up with his partner Lucie and their sixyearold son Vincent. When he sets off for a sail in his 60foot yacht alone as always Lucie receives a report that the ship has been found at sea with no sign of Philippe. They have to assume he is dead. Lucie doesn’t want to believe it and it is very hard to mourn without proof. Against the advice of everyone, she starts to investigate several mysteries surrounding the disappearance of Philippe.Almost from the beautiful opening images made in a stiff wind in midocean, it is clear that Veloma a farewell greeting from Madagascar that means something like ‘live!’ is about indefinable desires. De Laubier has made an exemplary film début in which her love of the story is clear from the disciplined rhythm, the beautiful actors’ directing and the many beautiful scenes. Her experiences at the shooting of Doillon’s Ponette (for which she was responsible for assistant directing and casting) seem visible in the moving precision with which she helps the young Thibault Patell play a chip off the old block.