Céline Roustan
Meeting up with his buddies to shoot a music video, while on “babysitting duty” for his younger tomboy sister Clara, Antoine finds himself in an uncomfortable position when she shows an interest in being included in the shoot, but needs to change her style for a more appropriate look. In Camille Poirier’s Le Vidéoclip (The Music Video), over the course of one afternoon, the two siblings have to come to terms with the fact that Clara is not a child anymore, forever changing and potentially deepening their bond.
“I wanted to show this moment when young girls first notice the male gaze on their femininity”
I am always a good customer for coming of age stories, especially when girls, in a rather mundane moment, realize that their childhood is coming to an end and they are starting to be perceived by society as a young woman and sexualized. While the narrative of the film is compelling, it could very easily be a premise that lacks novelty, but Poirier brings a fresh twist to the situation by also seeing it from the older brother’s perspective.
When we asked Poirier what led her to pen the screenplay, she shared “I was inspired by the transition from childhood to adolescence for girls, it’s a subtle but very real transition”. Before adding that she also “wanted to show this moment when young girls first notice the male gaze on their femininity”. I guess that we can all agree that puberty can be wild, but teenage girls not only have to deal with the physical changes, they also have to start getting used to how people look at them, and how their body can turn into the first thing that people associate with them. This last part is perfectly depicted with the behavioral 180 of Antoine’s two friends.
Once the credits roll, and we are given time to gather our thoughts, it becomes apparent that the film offers a lot to unpack and has a lot of nuance and subtleties. Up until the end, the brother is rather passive, but his discomfort genuinely echoes our own as viewers. His friends are also well fleshed out, and the music video shoot, especially the lyrics, provide great insight into their lives, attitudes and personalities.
Clara, Antoine and his friend prepare for a music video make-over
In films that rely heavily on a situation where nothing extraordinary happens, instead, the self-realization being the emotionally engaging element, the performances are crucial. In Le Vidéoclip all four main characters are incredibly compelling. Antoine’s friends, portrayed by Jacob Whiteduck-Lavoie and Zachary T. Gauthier, nail the change of behavior in their characters, without them ever becoming caricatures. The transformation is progressive throughout the film and clearly informed by what they’ve already witnessed in the world, their behaviors trying to replicate what they see as cool.
However, it’s Marilou Forgues and Olivier Carignan, who play the siblings Clara and Antoine, who give the film its emotional depth, as their individual emotional journeys both feel authentic. He is captivating as he goes from being annoyed with having his little sister in his way to becoming more and more uncomfortable with the situation until he snaps and he kicks into protective big brother mode. While she goes from the little sister who wants to be included to the hard realization that this new more feminine look changes everything, especially the way the boys and men will treat her, as her awareness grows it’s really heartbreaking to watch
The Music Video was on the festival circuit during the 2020/2021 season and picked up the Grand Jury Best Live Action Short Award at DeadCenter.