Odds are, you probably missed the 2017 film “Jeannette: The Childhood of Joan of Arc,” directed by Bruno Dumont. While many critics loved it, and John Waters called it one of his Best of 2018, the French film wasn’t really a mainstream success. That could be due to Dumont’s use of death metal to score the film, treating the subject of Joan of Arc with a bit of irreverence and fearlessness.
This year, the filmmaker returns with “Joan of Arc,” a bit of a pseudo-sequel to his 2017 film, this time ditching the metal and focusing on the classic story that many people know. However, even though the style and story of the new film, which has its premiere at this year’s Cannes, is different than ‘Jeannette,’ Dumont has brought young actress Lise Leplat Prudhomme back to reprise her role as the titular character.
And as you can see in the first trailer, she’s still very young.
Those familiar with Joan of Arc’s story knows that the historical figure died at a young age, but even historians agree that she wasn’t 10-years-old, as Prudhomme was during production. This use of a young actress doesn’t actually soften the story at all. Instead, it’s clear that Dumont is telling the harrowing tale in all its gory detail, and has given his star the same lines that a woman twice her age would have received.
And while this story is nowhere near the realm of “Game of Thrones,” it’s difficult to watch Prudhomme deliver such strong, intense lines without being reminded of the HBO series’ use of actress Bella Ramsey as Lady Lyanna Mormont, in a similar capacity. That is to say, it’s pretty great.
“Joan of Arc” will premiere as part of the Un Certain Regard section of this year’s Cannes Film Festival, which begins on May 14.
Here’s the synopsis:
In the 15th century, both France and England stake a blood claim for the French throne. Believing that God had chosen her, the young Joan leads the army of the King of France. When she is captured, the Church sends her for trial on charges of heresy. Refusing to accept the accusations, the graceful Joan of Arc will stay true to her mission. Bruno Dumont’s decision to work with a ten-year-old actress re-injects this heroine’s timeless cause and ideology with a modernity that highlights both the tragic female condition and the incredible fervor, strength and freedom women show when shackled by societies and archaic virile orders that belittle and alienate them.
