‘Des plafonds dans les yeux’: representing the New Town in Naissance des pieuvres (Céline Sciamma, 2007)

Abstract

ABSTRACT In contrast to Sciamma’s Bande de filles/Girlhood (2014), little scholarly attention has been accorded to space in Naissance des pieuvres/Water Lilies (2007). Featuring quiet neighbourhoods in the Parisian suburb of Cergy, Naissance's backdrop is unassuming. However, its association with consumerism, capitalism and the French state is a rich and hitherto underexploited topic for analysis. Considering the town’s relative novelty, this article interprets Sciamma’s on-screen environment as a partial ‘non-place’ as defined by Marc Augé. Such a town produces superficial social connections characterised by contractual exchanges. Meanwhile, the detached pavillons in Naissance retain a proximity to countryside that suggests freedom and banality, but the tension between nature and state generates oppressive effects. This article argues that Naissance’s backdrop is punctuated by an underlying sense of entrapment. Space is a vector for exploring human relationships, extending themes of feminism and sexuality that permeate Sciamma’s wider oeuvre.