Film Fest brings much loved French filmmaker back

Catherine Breillat's film initiated a fight for tickets in the 2004 festival. This year, Kolkata is set to witness the fighter���s tale, again.
The audience went berserk as they fought, literally, to occupy seats at the theatre. No wonder with a title like that, French filmmaker Catherine Breillat���s Sex is Comedy drew quite a crowd at the 10th Kolkata Film Festival in 2004! The film dealt with a director���s struggle in shooting an intimate sex sequence between two actors who happen to hate each other.
Unfortunately, the same year, Catherine suffered a stroke that paralyzed the left side of her body. Three years later, in 2007, she met a conman, Christophe Rocancourt, and offered him a lead role in a film she was developing, as well as 25,000 euros to write a script. In 2009, she wrote a book, Abus de faiblesse ��� abuse of weakness, a term used in the French legal system ��� that dealt with her experience.
Cut to November 2013. The Nandan premises are again abuzz with activity as the 19th Kolkata International Film Festival is back with a bouquet of films from all over the world. And once again, much to the delight of Kolkata cine lovers, Catherine Breillat���s latest venture, Abuse of Weakness ��� a story that is uncannily close to her own life ��� is scheduled to be screened at the festival today at Nandan.
The film revolves around Maud (Isabelle Huppert) ��� a filmmaker who suffers brain haemorrhage that leaves the left side of her body paralyzed for a long period of time. Though bedridden, Maud is determined to pursue her latest project. She discovers Vilko ��� a conman who cheats celebrities ��� on a TV talk show. He is arrogant, but his magnetic personality makes Maud want to feature him for her new film. They meet. He fools her too, borrowing astronomical sums of money from her. He takes everything but gives her happiness ��� and a family. As a filmmaker, Catherine has charmed us all over the years. And this time, we hope, it won���t be an exception.