PARTY GIRL/ ANGELIQUE

France, 2014, 96 minutes, Colour.
Angelique Litzenburger, Joseph Bour, Samuel Theis, Cynthia Litzenburger, Severene Litzenburger.
Directed by Marie Amachoukel, Claire Berger.

This film won a number of awards including the Camera D’ Or for a first film at Cannes.

The film was largely improvised, the characters, many of them Litzenburgers, were placed in situations and allowed to improvise their dialogue and their interactions.
The focus of the film is a 60-year-old prostitute, Angelique, who has lived a party life, gets on well with the other prostitutes, does her business in a bar with strip dancers, all part of her rough life for many years – although, we find that she has four children, three adults, a daughter married, and a 16-year-old daughter who was fostered.

A worker, Michel, proposes to her and she ponders whether she should marry him or not, making a decision, the two being happy together, her going to consult her family, but still having doubts and not sexually attracted to him. However, the marriage goes ahead with all the children present, making speeches, the happiness of the ceremony, exchange of rings, the dancing. But, at her going home with Michel, she finds she cannot respond to him sexually, says she does not love him. The impact on Michel is strong, humiliated and angry, and she leaves, wandering the streets, going to the club, enthusiastically dancing – and what will be her future?

1. The title? The outgoing type? The focus on her name? Her age?

2. The setting on the French German border, the clubs and the streets, homes, the Mayor’s office, the church? The musical score?

3. The film and its awards? Its style, the basic story, outline of the plot, the actors taking on their characters and improvising their dialogue and scenes?

4. The focus on Angelique, her age, her appearance, clothes? Her background as a prostitute? But also her background with men, her four children? Her friends, going out on the town, the dialogue, their friendship, support of her?

5. The bar, the dancers, the proprietor, the clients, Angelique and her approaching the men, favourable, the man calling her a whore and the violent reaction?

6. Her drinking, camaraderie with her friends?

7. Michel, his age, past client in the bar, knowing Angelique for some years, in love with her, the proposal, taking her out?

8. Her indecisiveness, consulting her friends? What marriage would mean with consequences?

9. Her reaching out to her children, visiting homes, the discussions, the daughter with her family, the son who worked in the mines? The contact with Sam, asking his advice? Reaching out to the daughter that had been fostered? The ups and downs of the conversations, writing letters, making contact?

10. Angelique and her travelling to see the daughter, age 16, the friendly foster mother, the daughter and her past, being moved by her mother’s visit?

11. Michel, the outings with Angelique? Yet her sexual resistance? Her talking this over with friends? Her appreciating his friendship, but not in love with him?

12. The buildup to the wedding, the visit of the mayor, the documents? The preparation for the ceremony, the wedding dress? Everybody in the church? The ceremony, the priest, the exchange of rings? The car, the celebration, the speeches from the children, the dancing?

13. At home, her sexual resistance, her blunt speaking to Michel, his being humiliated, angry, striking her?

14. Her leaving, walking the town, going to the club, dancing – and what future?