THE DAZZLED/ LES EBLOUIS

France, 2019, 99 minutes, Colour.

Camille Contin, Jean-Pierre Darroussin, Eric Caravaca, Celeste Brunquell.

Directed by Sara Suko.

The Dazzled is an unusual title. Ebloui translates as ‘dazzled’, ‘amazed’, ‘blown away’.

This is a film about a French community, situated in French Catholicism, set it in a small French town. It is a story about a family. It is a story about a community. It is a story where the community influenced by the leader, the parish priest, becomes something of a sect – with the resultant exclusivism, exercises of power and control, and the possibilities for abuse.

The film is semiautobiographical, written and directed by actress, Sara Suko.

At the centre of the film is a 13-year-old girl, turning 14, Camille, an extraordinary mature performance by Celeste Brunquell. She is seen first training in a circus school, acrobatics, applauded by her family. She is the oldest of four children, her mother, Christine (Camille Contin), depressed with the children losing her job as an accountant, her father, Frederick (Eric Parker), a teacher.

They are not a particularly religious but when they go to Mass are invited to join in an occasion for the parishioners, finding it very congenial, eventually joining this community – laity, young nuns in habits, some clergy, led by the parish priest, Jean-Pierre Darroussin, who is a self-styled The Shepherd (and a rather alarming behaviour by the congregation, making bleating sounds as the Shepherd enters the group).

While there is a cheery atmosphere about the community, ballgames, dancing, singing, religious fervour and enthusiasm, there is also a great deal of control, separating themselves from anything “worldly”. Which means that Camille has to give up her circus training, a stress for her, and mixed feelings about being in the sect. She is also friendly with a talented student at the Circus, eventually relying on him, infatuated, a sexual encounter (but the screenplay not noting anything about his being 18 and she underage).

While the parents become more and more committed, even preparing to make final vows in the community, Camille is more and more torn, made to admit her faults, beg forgiveness which she refuses, locked in an attic, made to fast…

The action is brought to a conclusion by an episode of sexual abuse. While audiences may have been expecting this, it comes suddenly for a quick resolution of the plot, the abuse of one of Camille’s little brothers, her reporting it to the authorities with consequences for the community

1. Tthe title? The charismatic leader, the disciples, the being dazzled?
2. The atmosphere of the French town, the community, families, school, church, the circus classes, shops and restaurants…? The musical score, songs and hymns?
3. Story of Camille and her family? Initial focus on Camille, circus training, her performance, family applauding? Wanting to stay with friends, her mother and the baby, sharp reaction, attacking her husband? The father kind to his daughter? The picture of family life, the mother and her tension, father and his teaching, the four children and relationships?
4. Going to mass, the priest, his friendliness, other members of the community, the nuns and their habits, other clergy, the invitation to come to the gathering, the meal, the response?
5. Christine and Frederick, the marriage, the tensions, their love for each other, Christine not wanting so many children, losing her accountancy job? Being welcomed by the community, Frederick and his response? And the children, the meal, the friendly nuns, sports and ball, dancing and song? The family continuing to return?
6. The role of the priest, leader, seeing himself as a shepherd, personality, power, control, everybody and the baa bleating for the shepherd? The effect on the parents, discussions, feeling at home, deciding to join, bringing the children?
7. The increasing strictness, Camille and her age, love for the circus, friendship with Boris, pitting the circus training, the theories about the body and humiliation, going to school, hiding her clothes, changing, Boris seeing her, the later bulldozing and the loss of her clothes? Her clothes at the community, singing, the games, the nuns and their friendship?
8. The effect on Christine, feeling welcomed, the visit of her parents, her antagonism towards her mother, her father and his apology, the family criticising him for not going to church? The later ritual, Christine allegedly remembering her father’s abuse (and the later confession by the young nun about her father’s abuse to Camille)? The forbidding the children to have contact with their grandparents? Christine getting the job, keeping the accounts, Frederick, pliable personality, Bible classes, apologies for being too intellectual, the complaint that he was speaking on faith issues in his teaching job?
9. Audience response to the group as a sect, within the Catholic tradition, the harshness of some of the regulations, unworldly, the control of The Shepherd?
10. The children getting anxious, the outing, Matthieu and his being lost, hiding, anger, the talk with Camille, not wanting to admit guilt, keeping fingers crossed? The punishment and his being locked in the is one? The severity on children?
11. Camille, partly accepting, partly not, the discussions at school, the girls taunting her? Visit to Boris, bonding with him, his age, his talent, seeing him perform, his ambitions, his seeing Camille changing her clothes? Boris and his visit to the house, later turning up, the invitation to the meal, the children bonding with him? Camille, beginning of puberty, infatuation, taking the money, the children having an enjoyable meal, using the money to go and see her grandparents, her hostility, the response to Christine in the group? Her going to buy the clothes, the wedding clothes, difficulty with the cheque, taking the dress, running away, going to see Boris, the ritual of the wedding ceremony, the night together, her parents coming, being taken back, locked in the attic, fasting, The Shepherd and his advice, the communal meetings, wanting her to confess, her refusal?
12. Camille and her being taken to the child welfare, her parents, her being allowed to go?
13. Camille, the dilemmas, love for her parents, finding the community too hard? Concerned about Benjamin and his not talking? Love for the little sister? Concern about material?
14. The dramatic bringing the situation to a head, audience suspicions about the sect and cult, the leader, so many leaders exposed, sexual abuse? Not with The Shepherd but with the young priest, Camille finding him with Benjamin?
15. Her going to the welfare again, reluctance and hesitation in explaining what had happened? The authorities, the young priest, the Shepherd, the family?
16. The autobiographical aspect of the film, the Catholic background and its values, community, French Catholicism and its history, the sect, providing community, but the abuse of power, sexual abuse