She plays an educator in the unknown world of Companions of duty. Agnès Jaoui, with Pio Marmaï, will help a 19-year-old girl (excellent Najaa Bensaid) to learn the craft of stained glass that could change his life forever.
“I learned how well this organization had worked since the Middle Ages, explains Agnès Jaoui to 20 minutes. This confirmed to me that you didn’t need to go to great schools to succeed in your life and that you could flourish in manual activities that are not too respected today. The heroine, very gifted for street art, finds an opportunity to escape a dark future with the help of the “Mother”, educator embodied by Agnès Jaoui.
Positive without angelizing
“My character is one of the positive people we need today,” says the actress. Like all generous beings, she sometimes has doubts about her mission but she always rekindles her strength to help others. I find myself in the values that she defends. The rules and rituals of the companionship could evoke a sect if the generosity and open-mindedness of the members did not immediately thwart this impression. “In the virtues they advocate, there is humility and it is not just a simple word, insists Agnès Jaoui. They don’t say, they do. They are in action. And they are open to everyone. »
The diversity of young people and teachers highlights the richness of a world where solidarity prevails. True companions welcomed the film crew. The sequences where we see them working amaze by their requirement as the safety of their gestures. “The selection is not part of their vocabulary, insists Agnès Jaoui. They welcome young people who are motivated and it works, she insists. And yet, we don’t talk about it much, perhaps because, in France, we don’t like to point out what works. »
François Favrat’s film has nothing to do with a fairy tale that enthralls teachers and their students. Difficulties and disagreements are not swept under the rug. Yet the benevolence devoid of sentimentality that halos the whole reveals a path that deserves consideration and respect. “It could be wise for this film to be shown to pupils by the National Education Department”, says Agnès Jaoui. Adults and young people will take a breath of hope by discovering it.