Céline Roustan
A transportive tale of a young American who journeys to the South of France to work on a farm over the summer, writer/director Molly Gillis (Now You Know) returns to S/W with her latest short Plaisir. Following Eleanore as, cultural differences aside, she learns how to build connections despite the language barrier, Gillis’ 19-minute film invites us into this community and her protagonist’s emotional journey.
Considering the authenticity of the narrative, its context and the character development, it came as no real surprise when Gillis explained that Plaisir is an autobiographical story. Not only does it show in how heartfelt the film is, but the level of self-awareness here allows her to play with the clichés and subvert the tropes of the American in Paris in Provence. With her own WWOOF experience inspiring both Plaisir’s location and on-screen community and the director admitting her “French was terrible”, she used her short to explore ‘”how we build relationships beyond language’.
Molly Gillis’ Plaisir is set on a farm commune in the South of France.
Discussing the writing process, Gillis revealed that she penned the script based on the images she thought would be “really compelling to see”. Possessing an effective immersive quality – I could feel the sun and almost hear cicadas when I watched the film in the dead of Winter – Plaisir is built around locations to amplify its enveloping nature and really make its audience feel part of the commune. The aesthetic and sound design combine to add an emotional engagement, capturing Eleanor’s internal journey as the outsider trying to find her place within the group. Using both 16mm and digital, paired with natural lighting, recreates the somewhat cliché, romanticized idea of Provence, but also give some scenes more of a documentary feel, again grounding the film in reality – a very pretty one.
In addition to the engrossing universe the filmmaker created, the connection between the two main characters is just as captivating and dictates the tone of the film. Very light, but never lacking depth, just like Eleanor’s state of mind, the film is both comical and moving. The connection between the two is a bit blurry, as we see it through Eleanor’s eyes, but this element of the narrative is explored with great sensibility and is very touching to watch. It really is fascinating to watch this bond between them develop, when their communication does not revolve around words.
A regular on our site, Eleanore Pienta (Important Police Shit, Asphyxia, I Turn to Jello, Bad at Dancing) is once again incredibly compelling in the lead role and has an impressive presence on screen. Navigating the emotional roller coaster of her character with a genuine and raw performance that makes that last scene so powerful, her chemistry with her on-screen partner is fascinating and sweet and you really feel her confusion in trying to balance all these emotions.
Plaisir had its world premiere at the 2021 edition of SXSW and made its way around the festival circuit with stops at the Palm Springs ShortFest, Aspen, Outfest and a French premiere at the Champs Elysées festival, before debuting online as part of the Searchlight Shorts collection. Gillis is currently working on the feature adaptation of the film and new short Presence Work, co-written with Patrick Foley.