“Do you know Zinedine Zidane? You should also know Marinette Pichon, the first French player to play in the United States, where football is professional, ”enthuses Garance Marillier, who plays the French footballer in the biopic. Marinette by Virginie Verrier.
It is to this young actress, discovered in Severe by Julia Ducourneau in 2016, which we owe the ardor and the energy that is communicated to the entire film. “The destiny of the sportswoman is exceptional and that of the woman too, continues Garance Marillier. She had an amazing life journey and carried a lot of messages, both in sport and in society. »
“Seeing the film made me realize how far I had come,” says Marinette Pichon to 20 minutes. I had the weird feeling that it was both me and a different person that I saw on the screen. »
A delightful metamorphosis
Between a violent father and a tender mother, the young woman learned to build herself and to accept her homosexuality despite the hostility of a hyperpatriarchal environment, renowned for its misogyny and homophobia. “I have immense admiration for her, both for her sporting career and the person she has become after having really had it,” says Garance Marillier. She is a role model for women. The film shows how Marinette grows and matures, to the point of emancipating herself with a galvanizing energy that goes far beyond her football practice. She is flourishing in every way and her metamorphosis is pleasing
The round ball is obviously present in Marinette. “I had to train myself, because I knew nothing about the practice of football, recognizes Garance Marillier. Marinette Pichon was there to help me find the right moves without hurting myself. The complicity between the actress and the footballer has borne fruit because this film, which is not afraid to be militant, touches even if you are not passionate about sport. “It is an honor and a privilege to be able to release this word by trying to reach a large audience,” says Marinette Pichon, now 47 years old.
“There is still work to be done so that sportswomen and women find their rightful place in society,” insist the two women. Marinette contributes to it and we bet that this film will undoubtedly make it possible to mark a good progress in this direction.