Emmanuelle Garcia Schick Interview:
Exclusive interview with filmmaker Emmanuelle Schick (La Petite Morte) By Renata Lorenc and Mai Meksawan IFQ talks with Emmanuelle Schick Garcia about her acclaimed documentary film, La Petite Morte, and her views on pornography.
This debut feature from a French/Canadian director explores the shocking truth inside the pornography industry in France, focusing on the actress Raffa‘la Anderson (who starred in the controversial film Baise-Moi and also wrote the best-selling book Hard). In the film, Raffa‘la talks openly about how she entered the porn industry as a teenage virgin, and the various sexual abuses she endured prior and whilst working as a porn actress. La Petite Morte (Ç little death È) opened to a rave review at the July 2003's New York International Independent Film and Video Festival in Las Vegas. American audiences can catch the screenings of the film again at the next editions of the NYIIFVF later this year in Los Angeles (September 2003) and New York (November 2003). For more information, go to
www.nyfilmvideo.com and
www.lapetitemorte.com.
How did you do the research for the subject of the film?
I did research for about seven months. Most of my research consisted of meeting people, reading everything I could find on the subject, watching films, etc.
I didn't focus solely on pornography, however, but included incest, child molestation and sexual deviance. I needed to understand what void pornography filled in people's lives, especially those involved in making these types of films.
Were you familiar with the porn industry in France prior to making the film?
Not at all.
Has there been any pressure from the people in the industry not to reveal too much about certain inside informations? Are there things that you had to leave off, voluntarily or not, of the film's final cut?
I haven't felt any pressure, but I'm sure it exists for people currently working in the industry.
It's an image game, just like politics. There are very heart breaking and horrible things about the pornographic world. But, most of those things happened to actresses and actors long before they arrived in the pornography world. The pornography industry is just a place where a lot of victims relive their abuse, where they can continue to destroy themselves like their abusers destroyed them. That's what is the most disturbing to me. The incest, rapes, child abuse and neglect that become the springboard for a lot of participants to enter the industry. People in the industry will tell you this isn't true, but I learned everything to the contrary. This excuse makes it easier to go to work, that's all. There are a lot of things that were told to me in confidentiality that aren't in my film.
Why choosing to focus on Raffa‘la Anderson as the subject matter?
Because she's extremely honest and sincere. She's someone I have a lot of respect and admiration for, someone who's taught me a great deal.
After the controversies that surround the film Baise-Moi and Raffa‘la's book, are you afraid that she might run a risk of getting overexposure a bit?
Not at all. The book and film came out a few years ago. Raffa‘la's a very private person that you don't hear much about. I don't think it will ever be a problem with her.
What is your opinion regarding the recent harsh criticisms - some might say backlash - regarding the film and book mentioned above?
Raffa‘la's book was very well received in France. It came out in seven other countries to positive reviews and sales. I liked it. As for Baise-Moi, I have problems with it on a technical level. But the power of the film is extraordinary. It's a powerful story, the acting is good and the visceral effect of the film is very strong. It's something that a lot of filmmakers have a hard time capturing, but I think [filmmakers] Virginie [Despentes] and Coralie did a great job in that respects. When I saw the film, half the audience left during the rape scene, similar to the effect the film Irreversible had this year. I'm glad people were offended by those scenes.
Because if you think watching those scenes was bad, imagine what a real rape is like. Imagine if all those people who talked, argued and were offended about the film focused all that energy and time on real rape crimes. That's what offends me, why aren't we getting mad about that?
Do you think that being a woman gives you an advantage of approaching the subject, given the way women are heavily exploited in the porn industry?
I don't know.
What do you think the term "feminism" really mean nowadays?
Everything and nothing. There's a lot of histories attached to the word. It's evolved and become different things over the years, which to me is natural. Because women have always been complex, and the evolution of feminism is a testament to that. I would really like to see more women in politics, maybe that makes me a feminist, I don't know.
What kind of reaction do you hope to get from audiences in the United States - a deeply conservative and puritanical country (albeit one with a huge porn industry)?
Since the film is more about Raffa‘la than pornography, I hope people see something they weren't expecting. I hope they have the same reaction I had, to be forever changed and affected by Raffa‘la's story.
Being born in France and growing up in Canada, did you notice something inherently different in the way people in the two continents - Europe and North America - percieve the subjects of sex, pornography, feminism, rape and incest?
Absolutely. Raffa‘la and I discussed the sex education we had, within our families and schools. The two could not have been more different. In Canada, I learned about inapproriate touching, respect, etc. when I was about 7 (at school). Raffa‘la never learned about any of that, only about how the reproductive systems worked. In the US and Canada there are sexual harassment laws, in France that doesn't exist. I've been living in Paris for the past six months and I'm very disappointed. I've been harassed, yelled at, aggressed, more than any other city I've lived in. That's a huge reflection on the eduction system, laws and attitudes of a country.
Do you think that pornography can be considered healthy for a couple's sex life?
Sure. But, I think people need to start using their imaginations more. With all the pornography I've watched, I perfer my fantasies a hundred times more.
What about the argument that pornography could help prevent rape since it serves as an outlet for lonely people?
That's a very lame excuse used by idiots. Rapists don't rape because they're lonely. Rape is violence.
http://www.independentfilmquarterly.com/ifq/interviews/petite.htm