by Hudson Moura
Rosalie, directed by Stephanie Di Giusto, is a sensitive film that addresses themes especially relevant today. The story centers around Rosalie (played by Nadia Tereszkiewicz), a woman with a congenital “anomaly” that makes it difficult for others to accept her in their community. Her condition—a woman with masculine traits—disturbs the people around her, especially in a patriarchal society with little room for difference. The core conflict of the film centers on Rosalie’s mere existence.
The performances in Rosalie are truly masterful, particularly from Tereszkiewicz, whose portrayal of Rosalie exudes gentleness, candour, and softness. This contrast with her outwardly masculine features adds to the character’s emotional depth and highlights the societal struggle to accept her.
Di Giusto’s direction adopts a classical approach, with assured mise-en-scène, capturing light and dark worlds. The cinematography uses shadow and soft tones to reflect the internal conflict between Rosalie’s two worlds. These choices contribute to the film’s atmosphere, where subtlety reigns, and emotions linger between the lines and within glances and gestures.
At its heart, Rosalie is a film about sexuality. The repression of Rosalie’s husband (played by Benoît Magimel), her forbidden desires, and the reactions of the men around her are central to the narrative. It’s fascinating to see how her physical condition disturbs the societal balance, especially among the male characters. Rosalie’s mere existence challenges deeply rooted prejudices and complacency.
Throughout the film, Rosalie’s presence generates attraction, jealousy, and loneliness. She is the subject of fascination and disgust, the object of the town’s gaze, and the embodiment of the film’s conflict. Despite this, her name is rarely spoken, yet her existence shapes the entire story.
Rosalie is a quiet yet powerful exploration of a woman’s fight to be seen and accepted. It reflects society’s fear of difference and the lengths it will go to maintain the illusion of normalcy. Through nuanced storytelling, subtle direction, and deeply affecting performances, Di Giusto delivers a timely and timeless film.
The film doesn’t shy away from exploring the violent reactions provoked by her difference. “She’s cursed… she’s a freak,” some say as if she must be hidden or eliminated to restore societal order. The factory owner, on whom the entire village depends, encapsulates this sentiment when he says, “Perhaps if you recover a woman’s appearance, everything will fall back into place.” He embodies the forces that prevent Rosalie from living a “normal” life, showing the tension between societal expectations and individual identity.
The dream sequence in which Rosalie envisions herself as a bird dancing on a stage, only to be shot down by her father, symbolizes the film’s deeper themes. The fact that her husband is a taxidermist adds a layer of symbolic weight, suggesting that Rosalie, like the animals he stuffs, is trapped in a life where she cannot fully exist. There is also a poignant moment when she compares herself to a poor-quality harvest, emphasizing her feelings of inadequacy and isolation.
Rosalie’s character is often dressed in white, symbolizing purity. This image of her as a perpetual virgin reinforces the tragic elements of her existence as she struggles to find her place in a world that rejects her. Rosalie and her husband become each other’s redeemers, offering salvation for their forgotten and neglected lives. Their mutual dependency brings hope to the film, even as it grapples with intolerance, identity, and acceptance themes. The film will be presented at Cinéfranco—Festival International du film francophone, from November 1 to 10, 2024, at the Carlton Cinema in Toronto.