Painting in the cinema is not built in a single brushstroke. Cécile de France as Marthe Bonnard, the painter’s wife but above all an essential figure in the artist’s work, between muse and obsession, is aware of the role to be played in front of Martin Provost’s camera. “My character is enigmatic and singular: Marthe invented a new name, a new identity, the day she fell in love with Pierre Bonnard who was her ideal”, confides, captivated, Cécile de France to 20 minutes.
Cécile de France and her sympathy capital
What we notice very quickly is the obvious parallel between Cécile de France (A secret, the Klapisch trilogy, The Kid on a Bike, etc.) and the character she embodies, human, pleasant and also sympathetic. We get attached to Marthe to the extent that we like to vibrate in front of the emotions that the actress exudes. Cécile de France, a graduate of Fine Arts, has a real appetite for art and painting. Which brings her even closer to Marthe. We get attached to his character.
Despite the sympathetic side, the film highlights the complexity of a female character, sublimated by the place of the painter – wonderfully embodied by Vincent Macaigne, in the life of this mysterious woman. “Marthe is very quickly trapped in her lies, in her world, and at some point, she will become a painter too. And then she becomes psychotic… All these trajectories lead her to a total fusion with the man of her life, Pierre Bonnard”, confirms the actress.
A video interview, a decryption that mixes painting and cinema, can be found at the top of this article.