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The film, which won the Palme d’Or at this
year's Cannes Film Festival, was chosen over box office hits and
other critically acclaimed movies to represent France.
"Honestly, I was not expecting it. We're not a country that
values genre films very much," Ducournau, 38, told Reuters in an
interview.
"For many years it's been looked down on as not being serious
enough or valuable enough and it feels like now there is a
rising awareness that genre films very much talk about humanity
and individuality as well in a deep manner."
"Titane", Ducournau's second feature film, is a body horror that
has shocked and wowed audiences with its violence, a sex act
scene between the main character and a vintage Cadillac car, and
themes of gender-bending, grief and love.
"When you make films like my films, you always have this fear
that you're going to be misunderstood or mistranscribed... I was
very happily surprised with how open-minded and ready to live
the experience all the audiences that I met were," Ducournau
said.
The title refers to a titanium plate placed in heroine Alexia's
head following a car accident in childhood. The plate attracts
her to metallic elements and following the act with the car,
Alexia becomes pregnant.
Following a series of violent outbursts, the adult Alexia,
played by newcomer Agathe Rousselle, meets a firefighter
(Vincent Lindon), who has never recovered from the disappearance
of his young son.
Convinced that Alexia is his adult child, he takes her in.
On the sex scene with the car, Ducournau said she was pleased it
had become a talking point and elicited a reaction from
audiences.
"As far as the sex act was concerned, I knew that I was not
going to show it extensively, obviously, and that it was just
going to be like flashes to show that her desire overcomes the
ridiculous cliche that goes with this kind of car," she said.
"It's like the feminine desire would overcome the car, (which
is) an extension of a form of toxic masculinity ... So I'm very
happy with this scene. I really like it."
Ducournau’s Palme d’Or win is one of several major triumphs by
women filmmakers at festivals and awards ceremonies this year.
"This year has proven that we cannot keep ignoring female voices
in the arts," Ducournau said.
The international feature film category shortlist for the 2022
Academy Awards will be announced next Tuesday, with the final
nominees revealed on Feb. 8 ahead of the Oscars ceremony in late
March.
(Reporting by Hanna Rantala; Editing by Susan Fenton)
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