LOUISE - Animation Short Film 2021 - GOBELINS
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- Опубліковано 16 лис 2021
- Louise, ballerina at the Garnier Opera in 1895, rushes home after a show but is stopped by a friend asking for money.
Louise knows what to do in order to repay her.
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Louise, ballerine à l’Opéra Garnier en 1895, finit sa représentation. Elle s’empresse de partir, mais est retenue par une
camarade à qui elle doit de l’argent. Louise sait ce qu’il lui reste à faire.
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Directors / Réalisateurs : Constance BERTOUX, Camille BOZEC, Pauline GUITTON, Pauline MAUVIERE,
Mila MONAGHAN
Team contact / Contact de l’équipe : louise@gobelins.fr
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Soundtrack / Musique : Anna CORDONNIER et Amandine ROBILLARD (musique originale) / “The Sleeping
Beauty, Op.66, ActIII “The Wedding”, No.30a, Finale.” By André PREVIN et London Symphony Orchestra
℗ 1982 Warner Classics, Warner Music UK Ltd (intro)
Sound editor / Montage sonore : Cédric DENOOZ
Mix / Mixage : Cédric DENOOZ
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Production : GOBELINS, l'école de l'image - Cécile BLONDEL : cblondel@gobelins.fr
Distribution : Miyu Distribution - Luce GROSJEAN : festival@miyu.fr - Фільми й анімація
A lot of people don't know that back in the 19th century, sexual exploitation was the norm in the ballet world and Paris Opera (the first professional ballet company) basically operated as a brothel. A lot of the girls come from poor families and were malnourished, which meant many "patrons" of ballet were able to abuse their wealth and power, as, for many ballerinas, a relationship with a rich man was their only chance at living. These wealthy men would often go to performances and backstage to ogle and proposition these girls, kind of like a "men's club", and since these men had so much power, they could influence who made it to star roles and who could get fired from ballet. So this isn't *just* a short film or commentary on modern-day art--it's history. It's reality.
@@Elxosonia I realized everything that was norm for the low class is high class now. My mom told me Lobster and chicken was low class food.
And most of these rich men have blood money, because most of them was slave master and plantation owners.
@@sa5m225 chicken? It's not fancy now either.
@@sa5m225 Yes it's true, Lobster was low class food and I'm not sure why that changed, maybe because of over consumption.
this reminds me of Lolita and idk why
Of course my gut reaction was to feel pity for Charles. He looks so sad.
And that’s the whole point. You’re supposed to feel sad for him at first until you realize exactly what the scenario is. And that if he’s here at all, he’s here trying to buy sex with a ballerina, and he didn’t get what he wanted from the girl he wanted. He’s just as much a predator as any other man here, even if he seems pitiable.
Predators come in many different forms and some seem kind.
your opinion is so obvious and interesting! thank you very much, sincerely
underrated comment fr
@@stargirIll because it's a fairly common trap, for called naive people ??
@@stargirIll no man is the victim, simply, empathy is there because the man is "sad" so we will want to console him but he himself is an-
executioner??
@@stargirIll everyone is different ! what I mean by that is that I do not excuse the man at all (no man in this video is a victim) but simply that, generally, we would tend to pity him because he has the looks “sad” just that!! So I understand why you say that and I'm happy that you shared your opinion!!
a lot of sympathy for charles in the comments, but are forgetting that louise is still a child
exactly! even if he is offering "real love" or if the flower symbolizes "innocence", what is that symbolism worth when he's a grown man and she's a 14 year old child.
Why is Charles trying to get sex for free from women and girls who can’t eat? Why can’t he go find a woman of his own status, normally ?
This some incel shit. Whatever the age of the dancers, Charles is not a vibe.
I don't feel bad for him at all 😀
@@littleseaturtle the gaslighting of pedophiles is crazy
That always annoyed me. It was never about him, its about her! I dont feel bad for him, he will move on a get over it. He will find someone new. But these young girls gotta live with this forever.
My favorite parts of this film was how the women interacted with each other. They were each other’s haven, a support system, and a place to return to. I loved the last scene when Louise hugged her friend lovingly
100%. the friendship between josephine and louise was beautifully done
It felt a bit sapphic at times, would have loved to see a longer feature film developing the girls' characters
@@mollusckscramp4124 I don't think so at all. They seemed like sisters, close and warm with one another. Casually being nude around each other without any sexual connotation made that quite clear.
Are you sure they're women? They look like girls.....its concerning seeing old men going after them
@@dollynina8992 idk, women and girls don't really kiss each other on the shoulders when we're only friends. She got real touchy with that one girl in a more intimate way, not platonically. There seemed to be romantic love at the last hug when they're leaving
i find it sad how louise’s face was completely stoic during the sex scene, meaning she’s used to it and has done it numerous times
Yeah, the man did not care about her one bit. Just depressing
I like that the scene is also very not sexy, for a sex scene, if that makes sense. Like, there is clearly no love or emotion with the way they don’t even show the man’s face. The way he just grabs her and turns her around. I think that really adds to the feeling that this is just the way she lives.
Not only that, she's looking at her ring and shoes during the act and I think it's representative of how dissociated she is in that moment, very heart breaking.
Well its not sex it’s assault
@@LunaDarkFall
It was sex for pay. It was not assault, don't dilute the meaning for actual assaults.
One detail that I haven't seen anyone mention is how at the end of the film, when Louise gets offered the macaroons, is that they resemble the dancers and how they're viewed in the eyes of the men at the opera. Soft pastel colors, pretty, and something to quickly consume.
even the colors of the macaroons, and there frills match the dancers costumes.
Wow I love how you caught that little details! Good eye!
Oh wow you’re right
I wonder if the girl got macaroons as a gift or bought them for herself, even though she had rent to pay
Or maybe Louise owed her money so it didn’t matter
Brilliant!
@@97_3h i think it was a gift. the "i have too many" like really struck me as it being a present for her services. if she would have bought it for herself it would have been cherished more, considering that macarons are a little bit more of a "fancy" desert. Rose too is most likely being sexualized and used by a man, so the box of treats don't mean anything to her--- it's simply just another backhanded token of appreciation for her sexual favours, almost like saying "thanks for the ass, let me give you something nice that you might not be able to afford--- this'll keep you coming."
This is so profound. When Louise takes her hair down, it shows how she is ready to rest. She doesn’t feel like “working” that night. And then we see her pass up the various men who have come to see her that night for their favors. Yes even Charles. But after Rose asks for Louise to pay her dues, we see Louise start looking for the rich old man she knows will be there. When she’s told to just “work” Charles, she says “he’ll never have enough”. As she continues searching for her “benefactor” we see her pin her hair back up, signifying she’s accepted that she has to “work” tonight. When she finally finds him, their encounter is rough and passionless. She stares at the wall, her feet, and the ring on his hand both distracting herself from what’s happening and reminding herself of why she is doing it. Later in the dressing room, the calm intimacy between the girls is soothing. Their comfort with each other, the way Josephine greets her with a soft kiss, and the sad reality that since Josephine will now be married off soon & they will be separated all unfold beautifully. When Louise goes to pay Rose, she is offered a macaroon, as Rose says she “has too many” meaning she has more than enough dancers should Louise fail to do her “job”. The sweet delicate cookies of the same pastel shades of red, green and yellow represent the level of commitment of each of the young dancers. Louise takes a reddish one, signifying she’ll do what’s expected of her, and “work” more. As the dancers leave, we see Louise rush to Josephine’s side and give her an earnest hug as she rests her head on her friend’s shoulder, as if she’s holding on to the last bit of happiness she has before that too is gone.
This short story is terribly sad and thought provoking. Showing a glimpse into the tragic history of ballet and guiding the viewer through the ugly truth of the suffering these ladies experience.
I love your take on this, very well written out and explained ty!
Ah, thank you for writing this up! I missed some of the nuance between Louise and Josephine and while I noticed Louise taking her hair down and then pinning it back up when she was needing to find some quick cash, I somehow didn't catch the working -> resting -> working symbolism you explained so well.
The Macaroons have the same colors as the dancer's dresses which could symbolize how the men see the dancers. Nothing more than little treats to satisfy a craving.
@@RackednStackeddd im sorry but ur fucking pfp has me screaming
Your interpretation of the macarons is a bit farfetched
I really appreciate how the animators did not try to “age up” Louise and her friends. I feel like media depicting teenage girls, especially in the context of sex or sa, will depict them as “mature young women” and completely ignore what makes relationships like Louise and her patron’s disgusting and wrong.
ya but this topping been beat over so many times it’s horing
The shot when they are having sex and you see the size contrast of their hands next to each other putting the emphasis on her being a child was especially unnerving, powerful message throughout this film
@@mollusckscramp4124 Agreed! That choice really struck me as well.
I know right after watching this Im glad my mom didnt take me to ballet classes.
Eh modern women use "suggar" daddies all the time. This animation just makes it look like there are victims.
People just feel bad because secretly they think prostitution is dehumanizing, now that the west accepts hedonistic behavior, MILLIONS of young girls world wide celebrate their sexual freedom and love making quick money this way.
There was a specific time in France, I think when sexual exploitation became part of a working ballerina's reality. A lot of opera houses were actually built and designed with these 'seedy dealings' in mind. They often had these luxurious backstage rooms wherein the performers can rehearse or warm up, but often, after shows, it would turn into a sort of "men's club" meant to host wealthy opera-goers interested in socializing and propositioning the ballerinas. A lot of these ballerinas were children actually, who usually came from impoverished backgrounds looking to earn a living. They had this disgusting nickname for them: "petits rats." Guess I'm never going to look at Degas paintings the same way again 💀
I remember they showed that in the movie "Phantom of the Opera" during the scene where you see the Opera House back in its glory days.
Yea Degas paintings lose a lot of their luster with this context. I still remember a docu or something where they arw looking at Degas' history and are all "wow this awkward quiet young man became Degas!" - yes - the sort who hung around watching young girls get propositioned and sold. Yep.
So sad they had to resort to prostitution to earn a living, and as children on top of that! Those men are 🤮
Glad that dancers don't have to prostitute themselves anymore and simply just do what they were meant to, dance. (I hope)
The Fine Art of Love movie kinda has the same plot point you mention, a girl trafficking "business" with a ballet school-orphanage facade
@@seedsilas4912 So what is it then? I’m just wondering, because I thought they meant the same thing? Do you mean it’s not “work” because the children can’t choose to do it/ consent to it?
I really think that little blue flower symbolizes innocence. It is a gift that anyone in Louise’s age should enjoy, yet it was thrown away carelessly and drown in a glass of wine - forever lost in corrupt social conditions.
How old is she supposed to be anyway? Is she about 16-17? She looks young and if that's the case I'm even more shocked and broken-hearted about her condition because I myself am around the same age.
Какое прекрасное сравнение! Вы наблюдательны
Yeah, and it was given to her by someone who did not seem confrontational and appeared more interested in the relationship than sex by the way he became sad in the corner instead of going off to someone else.
@@nazaninsoltanpour6254 According to the articles in Gobelins's comment, she could be much younger, about 13-14 :(
@@annadorothea9785 oh goodness, poor girl:(
Wow, I love the macaroons part! The colors are same as the dresses the girls wear in this film. The greenish macaroons are obviously the younger/less experienced girls like Louise. The girls in the red dresses were the ones who seemed more experienced and knew how to do “their job” correctly. If you look back to the scenes after the performance, it was the girls in red that were quick to mingle and pick up their clientele for services. Plus of course red is the color symbolizing when a girl goes from being young and innocent into a woman from her cycle.
You see Louise goto take one of the greenish ones but then decides on taking a red one instead. This is after her madame says “I have too many [macaroons]”, implying that Louise can easily be discarded if she doesn’t pull her weight around there. So, Louise made the conscientious choice for a red macaroon instead of the subtle greenish-yellow ones.
How is she more innocent? She dismisses Charles who apparently has feelings for her and steals her friend's drink
@@ST-kr2mk In that circumstance, she is compared to the girls in red. They are more aggressive when it comes to bringing in money. They hustle more than she does.
@@ST-kr2mk Charles deserves to be dismissed. Why do you think he has feelings for her? Because he brought her a flower and didn't immediately cut to the chase with her and was sitting alone after her rejection? He is in a place that is well known for prostitution and that alone means he has that intention with her. Just because it seems to be just her he wants to have sex with does not mean he's any better than the rest of the men or cares for her any more or would give her a better life. If she choose him to get out of the life she is still a sex slave...but it would be worse because he would take her freedom away and keep her broke. Lose lose for Louise.
That is some r/niceguy viewpoint you have there lol
@@ST-kr2mk Charles is probably not from her social class, doesn’t have enough money and because he is there at that evening I don’t think he had any romantic intentions.
@@ST-kr2mk keep in mind that men who went to the backstage for courtship has the mind and knowing what power they have over these girls, and Charles’ intention is no less than that. When girls are hustling for survival, he has a mind of courtship and the knowing of upper hand in the back of his mind. There is no fair in situation like that, especially when the receiving end can never escape the power/financial dynamic. If they met outside the backstage and Charles pull the flower move, it would have been fine. But when you can clearly see how young Louise is, the glimpse of hardship she has to face. Those are not romantic advancement tbh.
The most interesting part is how these women do not sexualize themselves at all. In the dressing room, their bodies are simply bodies. In the outside world, however, they are a show.
Hi all! I would like to make an edit to this comment because it's been getting a lot of attention. My intention with this comment was to take note of the fact that the filmmakers made a decision to contrast the sexualization of the dancers in the outside world with their comfort with their own bodies as simply human bodies in the changing room. It reflected to me my own struggles with not viewing my body as an inherently sexual thing, specifically because it is female.
This is just like saying Christian nuns are sexualising themselves for staying covered in public and not getting naked to each other...lol. Women sexualising or not sexualising themselves has nothing to do by how naked they get as women by nature already do not sexualise their own bodies. It's men that do them, men are the ones sexualising women. There are reasons why prostitutes and courtesans are always dressed best and made attractive possible with showing skins and shapes, while the dance routine is an add-on to accessorise the ladies to be more attractive to their sponsors.
@@sallylemon5835 Painfully True.
Wow breacking news women have bodies
most of the time women dont sexualize themselves. men choose to perceive them as sexual.
This! Yes! 🙌
Damn, the animation, the social criticism. This is art
Oh someone from Portugal here? You have good taste!
@@mellidon Thanks, so do you! I'm a mere humble astonished viewer, really
@@audio_audio hipocrisy of the upper class. At that time, ballet dancers had the reputation for being too "easy" for men to be seduced, for not saying that they were seen as prostitutes.
He captured the women during that time beautifully.
Only the spirit of these beautiful little flowers 🌸 is in France. Their enduring spirit to gay and happy everyday they lived no matter how tragic. Truly remarkable women.
Beautifully illustrated animation is nothing without a good story, they did both masterfully well °~.☆.~°
@@audio_audio Good question. I have just been learning about the culture and I wouldn't have understood this film nor appreciate it without the knowledge that is being depicted.
Really that is a good question 😉
I love how nudity is portrayed in this short film. It's typically expected that nudity will find presence in sexual scenes, and yet here nudity is consciously hidden during sex and only displayed afterward during the lady's congregation. Such simple art shows that one's body, the female body, isn't a mere sexual tool or an object to be thingified, but is one's own temple. LOUISE resolves nude expression not as degrading or innately sexual in nature, but as a reclaimed display of ownership over one's own body. There's both a shared vulnerability and a camaraderie birthed from such empowerment. The most intimate of all acts--sex--has been reduced to its most baseless form. And yet, sex's most intimate aspect--blanket nude expression--is found again through one another. As a collective, women become mightier than patriarchy: through the stopped pampering of geriatric beliefs, then, the multi-hand pull of the plug.
Exactly
Beautifully said. My stomach is still churning from this, but it's a nice message.
Well said! When I first saw this, my mind was very scared of the displayed sex, but to my surprise, it wasn’t explicit! And the girls changing was so natural! Like they weren’t striking poses while taking out their dresses, they were just staking off their “uniform” and that’s that! I loved this!
thats a beautiful way to put it, hat's off to you!
Ahhh, a beta trying to hide his true thoughts on the matter because he subconsciously is convinced that his agreeing with gynocentrism will get him sex!
My great grandmother, my grandmother, & my mother were all ballet dancers. I’ve grown up hearing their stories of the pain and hardships they went through, especially my great grandmother. This animation depicts various stories my great grandmother would tell me on her death bed. How everything she did was so she could eat that night, & how she would depend on the other women in her industry for support, love, & care.
This animation really does show the side of ballet not many are aware of. It is sad, but also very real & shows how women have been treated as objects & have never been given the fair end of the stick in society.
Not to mention the toxic beauty standard it created that ballerinas must be skinny which come from malnourishment and being underfed! May your grandma Rest In Peace
Women I have always been there for each other ❤ Glad to see things haven’t changed
@@princessglandy6776Now and I think than it's same in the past for the world of mannequinat ?(malnutrition, human traffic in fact...)
As a ballet dancer, I’m very grateful that someone is shedding light on the dark world of ballet, it has always been this way.
Eh what???? 😨 I thought it only happened in the past
@@catherineslittletown3352 Its gotten better but it still happens sometimes. Around 2015 tons of reports came out that dancers at Bolshoi were told to sleep with wealthy guests or risk losing their spots in the corps de ballet. Getting into that company is absurdly hard even if you went to a good dance academy, so it's really sad they treat such prestigious talent like garbage.
@@catherineslittletown3352 no it still happens, just not as much but Is still a dark problem in ballet
@@sofiebonaparte7831 i'm a ballerina too, i am not naive enough to think these situations dont still occur but i never would have thought it was still common in this area of the dance world, that's terrifying
Curious 🤔…
Gosh, this was so beautiful yet so tragic. The worst part is how natural these girls act about everything, as though what they're putting themselves through is okay. You get a feel for each relationship Louise has, from her close friend, to her fellow dancers. It's heartbreaking to see them offer themselves to acts that are so loveless because they just need money. Keep in mind, dancers like these were often young back in the day, 16 and under was common. The animation, voice acting, and style are beautiful though.
It wasn't that they just needed money. They needed a way to live. The world has been cruel to women.
@@acoasterbro The earlier actors, singers and dancers were often males. And they too had to do sex work. Basically if you became an artist, you most likely had to perform sexual acts to earn some money. On the other hand, in the more oriental setting the men and women "of pleasure" had to train in arts to get more and better customers.
If you follow the human history arts and sex work were intertwined and often seen as one and the same job (perhaps related to some ancient rituals, I don't know).
I think that's what put me off with the nudity I did not know how old the women were I thought maybe 16 youngest but it put me off watching it, the story is fantastic do not get me wrong but how old do you think they were I know not old but I was thinking 16-20 maybe
@@Black.Spades you are absolutely correct, in Japan the actors for kabuki doubled as prostitutes. There are so many instances of sex being involved with the entertainment industry it's not funny. Just like the casting couch and the whole Weinstein saga in hollywood
@@pickmixgamer It is implied by one of the artists that louisa is around 14:( That's why she looks younger and shorter than most of the ballerinas there.
I'm impressed by all these people in the comment section. Y'all understood every little detail so perfectly and described it so accurately. This deeply touched me. Thanks to the animators and everyone, who worked on this video
You mean the circle jerk of feeling sad. All I have seen here is how modern women should feel ashamed as you guys kinda make it sound like prostitution and sexual liberation is not as empowering as modern feminism wants us to believe. Yet despite women having supposed men in education, more than ever they choose to sexualize themselves instead of doing a normal office job.
Someone replied to you. Can you see the comment?
@Yomomma-jf9iy I can't see it so I doubt she can.
when he pins her to the wall and you see the size difference between their hands- i have no words
right there you really realize she is just a kid. that scene is shocking and heartbreaking.
Great work!
Louise is actually 14. And so we're most opera dancers
@@princessglandy6776 actually 14 is in fact still just a kid 😐 fuck outta here w the wierd shit old heads be saying.
Heartbreaking? Thats what women love? Just look at dating profiles almost all women love stronger, bigger men. The only ones that find it sad are unattractive girls because they can't get such men
@@princessglandy6776still a child
@@stelluridk3439 No one said she wasn’t
I really like the details of support and affection the dancers show each other in this. Though the topic is hard to swallow, seeing that these women could rely on the friendships they shared to relieve them from their hardships is the silver lining in this sad little short. I especially love how well the intimacy between them is portrayed. Also I liked that, during that one scene, Louise kept focusing on the wall, on her hands and on her feet to keep herself distracted. I thought it was a much better choice to depict what she sees rather than just show here getting pushed around. It felt less invasive to not see her go through it, while we were still left with an uneasy feeling as we are aware of what is happening. Overall this short film has to be one of my favorites. It felt very grounded.
i love that detail too. because that's exactly what happens. you just stare at the wall or whatever to ignore your reality
Hi, thank you for your interesting opinion. I’d like to hop on to this topic :-) I don‘t think she is distracting herself from the events that are happening to her by observing her surroundings. I think she is trying to keep herself busy but not because she can’t bare the situation. To me it felt like it is supposed to show that it is so common for her to do this that she has now spare time you could say which she is trying to fill with looking at her surroundings. I think I am projecting my own experience here though so I see it as this feeling of casualty in the act. She was so less invested in what they were doing that she had time and awareness to observe these objects around her. Well she kind of became one herself. Still it felt like a burden to her I think and exhausting as it is shown in the scene where she sits all by herself in the changing room sighing relatively at the end of the film. But the moment that we were able to watch in this short film we are mainly talking about right now was at a time she already grew cold to these circumstances. I mean it didn‘t hurt her anymore. Not like it did at the first time at least. Maybe it will always hurt deep inside. But I never felt that consciously so I don‘t have an opinion to that right now. But I was there where it felt just like a duty and my mind could wander of just like it was shown in this film. This scene was really relatable and real but also sober and kind of brutal in it‘s honesty. And this is how reality feels to me.
Thank you for reading :-)
Not so sure about the whole "how women supported each other". My take was just that they were all in a shitty situation and couldn't affort to care about anyone but themselves. Like, you can see this when our female main character is forced into a corner because another woman wouldn't wait a single day for the money. Bet the teacher knew what the girl was going to have to do in order to get money, she just couldn't care because she had her own problems to worry about. Maybe that's why Louise didn't mentioned it to anyone, because she wants to keep her friend living in her sweet little rich girl bubble and because she knows the teacher knows, just as she knows that the teacher doesn't give a damn.
@@falkyrie5228 I was thinking the exact same thing.
oh wow u worded this perfectly. exactly my thoughts
The atmosphere feels dreamy and nightmarish, comfortable and unsettling, all at the same time! In other words, it is absolutely stunning
Yours is my favourite comment, you very perceptively articulated what i felt but couldn't put my finger on. Its both unsettling and cosily intimate, constantly and smoothly switching between the two. I think this is because there is the same sense of familiarity and routine for both the cosy and hard moments that holds it al together.
@@nadiabairamis3854 Yes! Yes! I love this little thread; it's exactly what I've been wanting to say, but I didn't know how to put it into words. :D It's so eerie, but is placed in a quite mundane setting. The contrast is so apparent.
Reminds me of Kafka. In my imagination, this is close to how his works would be adapted for the screen
Europe in a nutshell
you took words right out of my mouth! i agree completely
Did anyone notice how when Louise was looking for De lucini, she stopped in front of a mirror to tie her hair up. It makes her look older, more mature, less like a young girl and more like a desirable women as if she’s trying to get rid of the young child inside and be an “ adult”. The film was AMAZING tho, beautifully written and animated and the voice actor’s voices were so soothing. It radiated a kind of elegance that’s hard to capture these days.
OK 2024! New Analysis/ New perspective
So different interpretation as she might have not been entirely trying to portray the image of a more mature woman, but to portray the image of the “ perfect ballerina” or epitome of femininity and youthfulness, which would’ve made her seem irresistible and basically present her as the very fantasy that the men imagined about them-- soft, delicate and pretty. It hides a hideous underground working behind the glamorized stage and ballerinas by exploiting young girls for money. Still I believe this film is a masterpiece and demonstrates some of the ugliest sides of man in a beautiful manner.
How tf foes having your hair up make you look older, when my hair looks shorter I look way younger
@@4spurta It's 1895. Back then, it was common for young girls to have their hair down, while women have their hair up.
Ohh I initially though it was to expose her nape and appear more seductive, but you're probably right
@@denden8372 That too is true.
I think it's the other way around. She looks younger with that hair, more like a young ballerina, and she knows that thats what those men want. Young girls.
Its weird to me so many people in these comments don’t recognise louise as a child when she very much looks like one.
It's probably because she acts very "mature," which is an excuse you'll often hear when predators go after kids.
If I need to say, she looks like 15-16
She also has quite a deep voice
@@cupcakedoce956
I heard that the artist said she's 14.
Go and tell your mom I said hi.
Everyone talks about Louise (and don't get me wrong, it's extremely disturbing how small she is compared to everyone else, including her own peers. I don't even want to think about how old she is.) but I find her friend, Josephine thought provoking also. Notice how it was her mother who was arranging her "meetings".
When I first learned about Jack the ripper, I got very interested in the girls and the white chapel district. Researching further, you come to the realization that many of the girls simply had no alternatives to making money. There were many who like Louise, did it just to survive. But many don't realize how many more girls were sold by their family; by their parents, by their husbands, and sometimes even by their own children.
These girls were probably also forced into the trade from very young and have no other way of living. I'm glad everyone is sympathetic to their plight. I never knew about the darker history of ballet and likely other arts. I can't imagine how they cope with the contrast of being on stage with all the glory and admiration, then going back to the cruel reality once they're off.
I assumed it was a marriage arrangement, the atmosphere slightly changes the further.
However, marriage was one method of "selling"...
Yup, the only way to get enough money if you lived in a city is through men, either you marry one and he pays or you have sex with many and they pay.
Yeah my father wanted to force me to an arrange marriage with an old rich men if I don't get to university and once I'm 18. Sucks to suck.
louise is 14
Has anyone noticed how thin and pale Louise looks? Her hands are extremely bony.
This was so terrifying and sad to watch. I am glad ballerinas are paid better now, and there is more awareness among people in general w.r.t money and finance. The animation was beautiful, but too raw and real that I didn't know how to feel about it.
I honestly wish I could say the same (about not knowing how to feel about it). I wrote an extensive comment about my initial thoughts though, because in truth, I very much had identifiable feelings about it.
Same, ☹💔
I am afraid that you are mistaken, the average ballerina makes about as much as working full-time at McDonalds.
You probably didn’t know how to feel because you’re watching it with a 21st century mindset. It’s just how things worked back then, unfortunately.
@@Oh-mq6vq what it mean
Can we talk about Charles for a moment. With the flower, which I think is actually a bellflower, we get the symbolism of gratitude, support and romance. At first, I even felt sorry for him when he sat alone. This could imply that Charles would give her a better relationship/life.
But when you think about it, of where he is and why men went to these parties that image falls apart. He is a (likely) grown man backstage vying for the attention of a girl presumably outside of his social class (Louise). He seemed so anxious and brought her a flower because he is probably new to this and thinks Louise will be impressed/easily fooled.
Louise is more aware than any of the men think. In the end, a romance with Charles wouldn't lead anywhere and while he may treat her slightly better she need to make money, money that he doesn't have.
I don't feel sorry for Charles at all. Even if he's "sweet" about it, even if he really "loves" her, even if he's naive, he is still taking advantage. Her options are to be with him exclusively and try to keep him happy and deal with him every day and have sex with him whenever he wants... or stay in her situation of at the very least getting to _choose_ who to have sex with to get by, and only needing to do it for a short time rather than all the time. I do not feel sorry for Charles.
@@GoddoDoggo that's a very good point and I feel the same way about him after analysis. However, at a first glance the shot it intentionally makes him look hurt to deceive a more neive audience as if they were are more neive ballerina of that time.
In addition, I don't believe he is being genuinely sweet, he's still trying to manipulate her.
It didn't seem like Charles was in love with her or he wanted a relationship with her let alone a good relationship. He was just one of the men who just wanted her body, giving flower or offering gifts to ladies was a common norm back then it didn't mean he was serious about her. Also him sadly sitting alone wasn't fir Louis seemed he had a personal loss like loss in his business or hard time in job money related issues or problem with his real relationship or his wife so he just came here to have a body to enjoy to forget about those
@@jhsemoxitha3821 I especially agree with you that he didn't want a romantic relationship with her, only a sexual one, but I do think he was trying to fool Louise into thinking he did.
As for your second point, I hadn't thought of it before, but now I definitely think it's possible.
Do keep in mind that this is all speculative, and we tend to project our perspectives in to such speculations.
It could have easily been that he was sincere and could have held his own to give her a better life, just as much as it could have been that he was not. His latter shown attitude supports the less nefarious possibility, but we really don't know.
It is interesting what you can learn about a person's worldview from reading their judgement calls on a brief fictional character.
Strangely, I haven’t seen any comments yet mentioning Degas. This short film is a reference to the young women depicted in degas work at the time. Degas portrayed the beautiful yet corrupted world of the ballerinas who aspired for a better life. He nicknamed the young ballerinas he painted “little rats” due to the impoverished and difficult lives these women had,often having to sell themselves to the bourgeoisie to feed themselves. It was a great critique on the beauty and painstaking beauty of ballet, and the dark underbelly which would leave women as young as fourteen prostituting themselves and sleeping on the streets.
Also how multiple shots reference works by the artist. It was apparent to me from minute one.
YES !!!! i wrote a paper on this, i’m so glad somebody else saw the influence of degas too !!!
Yessss that was my first thought
But Dagas actually hated those ballerinas and called them wh*res who spreads diseases
Bro, Edward Degas?💀
I would watch a whole movie of this, so sad it ended. I got really lost in it. The amout of practice and dedication a movie like this takes is very admirable
This would make an excellent feature length film
also if they were to add the story behind Degas' Ballerina paintings, i think the movie would be a hit especially at the TIFF, where they tend to show movie's that are less main stream
It's not the same story but if you want to watch a french anime taking place in Paris during this period (end of the 19th century) and about the realities of the domain of dancing at that time, I really advice you to see the 2 short seasons of the series "Loulou de Montmartre" ;) it's a beautiful one, crossing a lot of themes and with a great soundtrack
@@dessoleilsenpagaille thank you! I will check that out
If you want a story depicting the same scenes from another POV, there is les illusions perdus that was turned into a movie last month
It immediately made me think about Degas' art and the way he, despite reportedly not engaging in any sexual relationships, also tremendously exploited their bodies and as he said himself, "considered woman as an animal", which, taking into account how young some of the girls were, makes it even more heartbreaking to know what everyday life of those dancers captured in beautiful paintings looked like.
I really liked his work when I was young. I remember the description saying how he was giving insight into the behind the scenes for ballerinas of the time.... rather vague way of putting it. I already know that if I look this up, there'll be some historians claiming how this was normal for the time and it makes my stomach flip. There was another author who had taken numerous photos of children in questionable wear (oh, I forgot his name) and that's what they said about him.
The entire color scheme and design of the short is very similar to his painting "Rehearsal on the Stage", and it shows little scenes from that painting like a ballerina scratching her back, or one kissing the shoulder of another. On a sobering note, the protagonist looks exactly like one of Degas's sculptures, "Ballerina of 14 years".
@@mysticmusical The sad thing was, it WAS normal for the time. It was totally normal and just accepted.
It shouldn't be used as an "excuse," in the same way that "burning people at the stake was normal for the time" shouldn't be used as an excuse, but factually speaking, it was "normal." Which makes it much much worse than if it wasn't.
I was searching for a comment from someone who recognized like me the inspiration from Degas' art ! :D
@@elodiesaint-pierre877 funny me too : I have a presentation to do on his work and we are supposed to talk about how it has influenced some parts of the popular culture nowadays ;)
absolutely LOVE the way the unethical sex was portrayed here and wish that more series would take this approach. SOOOOOO many series nowadays when showing rape/SA/etc. tend to be so explicit, but sometimes to capture the horror, the disgust, you need to show the littlest part. her eyes show everything you need to know. edit: a lot of the replies here completely misunderstood what i meant. i understand that the short is showing S/A, and that she's a minor, but a lot, and i mean A LOT, of modern media tends to be unnecessarily explicit with their S/A scenes (take for example, berserk, which i haven't read but i've heard enough about at this point), so i appreciate that they still convey the horror non-explicitly. also, hate to use this card, but i'm also a minor so like,,, i don't exactly enjoy watching minors get S/A'd.
gud
@oh wow no, because she has to, or else she wouldn't be able to survive. consent can't be truly given if the only other option is to be homeless and starve to death
@oh wow This is really gross. That is not at all how consent works, not to mention that she's only 13. Coercion isn't consent. That includes financial coercion.
@oh wow shes 14 this is statutory rape
If a baby crawled to someone and that someone SAs them, would it be consent? No
Now of course a baby’s mentality and a teenagers mentality is very different but I’m sure in sexual topics they both can’t consent
They don’t know what their doing, dealing being inside of with. They have no education of this. Plus I’m sure it can somewhat ruin your body, especially if you’re a girl. Cuz pregnancy. You can die if you’re underdeveloped or suffer physical trauma. And the hormone thing ( periods, basically, could be worse in pregnancy too) after birth is a thing you totally don’t want or need
There’s so many children who got SA’d by the ones they trusted, loved and ended up like this. Do not disrespect them like this after what they experienced. Take it from someone who had to experience similiarities like these
Also to add on, like dogs can’t consent.
Your mind isn’t fully developed until you’re 25 years old.
A 17 year olds maturity is much different then a 19 year olds or atleast 20 year old adult
Bro thats a minor
It doens't matter whenever you interpret Louise's relationship with Josephine as romantic or platonic, it's still heartwarming and bittersweet.
their dynamic is my favorite thing on this movie! also the gesture at 5:34 was very sweet
I love how the whole animation is a harmony of itself.
We start off with bright lights and loud music. The deeper in the theater we go, the dimmer they get, the closer people get to eachother. Eventually we hear nothing but light chatter, and we see men and women in separate areas (the staircase scene), which brings out the twist even more when Louise finds Lucini. Once they're together there's no lights, we can barely see the man's face once or twice, and there's no sound (kind of). Once the scene is over, everything grows back to normal. Chatter, warm light, then music again.
Hello, I didn't understand what's the twist in Louise finding Lucini, could you please explain?
@@Ami_Mehta he r-pes her so that’s why the twist is there
no, that’s how she gets the money to pay rose
@@i.m1ss.y0u.s0.f4r it’s still r@pe, even if she got something out of it, it’s forced on her for her survival. She’s also quite small compared to other adults and even her peers. And historically many were sold by their families as children. She’s basically owned by the landlady and has to have s3x with old m3n to pay her dues to her master until she’s married off.
By those standards, she was r@ped.
@@Ami_Mehta I think how it's normalized back in the days even though people know how fucked up it was. After what happened since it's a normal thing, they go back to their regular lives.
I felt really freaked out by that sudden scene, and then I realized at the end that's what the short is about. The ending makes you even more sad when you realize they all are going to have to come back and do it all again, even though they might not want to.
Yes
They could just marry a normal nice guys that isn't rich lmao.
@@mcmarkmarkson7115 and then what?Live in debt????Live in a life where all they do is borrow???
@@numicats or work a hard job like men do.
@@mcmarkmarkson7115 "like men do"💀 a very bold assumption right there sir
They don't have much screen time together, but you can feel how much Louise and Josephine care for each other. I would have watched a whole series about the two of them working to find a better life for themselves. The story is rather dark in itself, but their friendship brings a glimpse of hope and I really love it.
Edit: forgot to say, but I love that the bit of nudity we see is when the girls are changing and not during the part with De Lucini. It really emphasizes that the dancers are only comfortable when they're among themselves and that what happened with De Lucini had no intimacy to it.
I like how we almost thought the older looking lady in the pink dress that grabbed her arm asking for money to pay her rent was questionably evil, but at the end after getting her money she casually offered some macarons and they seemed actually friendly, kind of showing us how casual and normal this was in my opinion.
Was? Since feminism got power, prostitution and sexualization of women is more widespread than ever. What we don't see is an animation of a doctor/nurse, having to mutilate growing babies 24/7
honstly a pretty interesting insight tbh
Rather than questioning the woman in the pink dress who we understand now to just be part of a larger system and who is simply trying to survive like the rest of the dancers, we are left to question and think about the morality of a system such as this existing in the first place. The film portrays these transactions and interaction as normal. The characters are so nonchalant about it all, but it fills me with dread and disgust knowing these were once normal and socially acceptable interactions.
@@CeCe1066 well now lets think what would be morality right, she is from a poor family, normally she would be either wed off to another poor men, or work rough through a hard job
Getting an easy life as a prostitute is a conundrum, because it makes life very easy but it is bad for society
Reality is full of suffering, look at how brutal animal life is without societal norms.
@@CeCe1066 not just "were once" like you said. i danced ballet throughout my childhood and adolescence and i'm sure others currently in companies can attest: finding benefactors and sponsors for the large sum of a season is more often than not put on the young dancers and rich men's favorites to schmooze them up.
The ballet was once considered the height of the cultural world back in the day. But I suppose there were hidden truths no one’s knew about
Obviously 😒 🤢 ☹ .....
ballet was, ballerinas weren't. They are usually girls from poor families, and the line of work is only above prostitution.
@@corneliali7747
How SAD ! 😯 🙁 😖 😢 😰
@@corneliali7747 like I said. Hidden truths
The height of the cultural world, for girls from rich families. But eventually rich girls gotta settle in a noble lifestyle married to rich sons of rich families (no dancing afterwards) so there left the show to be run only by girls who were willing to commit in this job, and poor girls usually would commit the most. By right they should be paid very well for running shows non-stop in opera houses attended by the elites who must've paid a lot to watch, but just as that girl need to wait for her next month pay to afford a new pair of ballet shoes, this shows they were underpaid slaves made believed that the only way they could afford staying in the field and pay back the costly ballet courses and accessories is by getting rich men to pay for them.. in exchange of sexual services. This has been the scheme for all prostitution houses.
This comment may get buried, but I wanted to point something out in regards to Louise, Charles, and her so-called "rejection of true affection".
Many of the comments believe that Louise rejects Charles only because he has less money compared to De Lucini, that's it's the film's way for showing how "innocence/love" has no place in this world. But we see Louise reject two other men before she gets to Charles. She walks away from Albert when he compliments her and straight up runs away from the man waving her down in the distance. Before any of this, Louise just wants to leave despite her friend mentioning how many men have shown up and seeing how nearly every other ballerina is with a man as well.
Louise ONLY chooses to go with De Lucini when Rose tells her she cannot wait any longer for her money. Louise doesn't reject Charles because he is poorer and his affection means nothing to her. Louise doesn't want anything to do with these men, it's only when she is literally backed into a corner that she feels forced to prostitution and she only goes for De Lucini because she needs a lot of money to pay Rose back. Poor girl.
louise is a CHILD. Fuck charles
That's makes sense
Totally.
this is such a sad reality
What saddened me the most is how Louise goes from childlike happiness about her to a such a emotionless robot having to do a 'job' . I felt so sorry for her.
If I was a millionaire, I would pay the animators to make this a series. The art style and colors are aesthetically pleasing and I would love to see Louise's story continue.
Me too!!! 😊
Same
Same
that's twisted. What life story do you expect from abuse?
@@missfrubby7814 Fr. And it’s not like Louise’s story would be super interesting. She’d likely contract a disease and die young, or if she didn’t she’d continue this lifestyle till she aged out and went to a home, or lived on the street. This ain’t a glamorous story, and I think it’s odd how people are being swayed by the art style to think it is.
In my art school I wanted to write a story about violence but my writing teacher forbade it because he said that nobody wants to see traumatic and sad things and I end up giving 10 to a classmate who wrote comedy where a character argued with his friend in a way comic, Mexico lacks more vision and empathy and more specifically the Capital of Mexico where if you express yourself artistically about inequality they end up humiliating you because they prefer to watch comedies, Congratulations for this work of art that does not get trapped in silence and comedy.
Pues nadie debería humillarte :/, si tu visión del mundo es única, déjala salir. Con fe!
Estudias en Escena?
I think its a common thing in latin america. We hardly have serious films or series and if they are they will be buried in the sea of "comedies"
@@pablo97vs no, en coco
lo peor que podemos hacer es caer en dicotomias entre "buenos" y "malos" lo increíble de este corto es que se aleja de ello.
Oh God it's so weird that I cried at last when they showed that simple act of kissing shoulder after that horrifying act..love how they somehow share their pains through friendship and affection...this was an experience 💖
It's the act of showing their support to each other that makes this tragic short a bit 'okay'... 😔Anyways, God bless and Jesus loves you!! 🤍☺️
“You shall not use or repeat the name of the Lord your God in vain [that is, lightly or frivolously, in false affirmations or profanely]; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain.
”
Exodus 20:7 AMPC
🤍
“Seek your happiness in the Lord, and he will give you your heart's desire.
”
Psalm 37:4 GNT
🤍
God bless you all and Jesus loves you!! 🤍
Something I noticed is that the macaroons are the colors of the ballerinas but notice that the younger ballerinas are the ones in green and the older ones are the ones in pink and yellow, so when Louise goes to grab a green macaroon she hesitates then she picks a pink macaroon signifying that she had to grow up too quickly.
oh dang!
the interpretation is fabulous!!
I was NOT expecting the second half of this film… but it’s beauty was not lessened. In a way, in fact, it was greatly deepened, because it displayed cold, harsh reality with such grace and understanding.
THIS AS WELL honest I love that it was dark half of the film with asethetic looking colors and god I- I just love this as well anyways I agree with this and everyone's comments :D
Soi ,realmente stokeada
very well executed I hope they continue to creat more similar works like this
It had DISTURBING scenes, let's be honest!
I did not expected that and it made me deeply uncomfortable
This is NOT how you make a movie. These details SHOULD be explained differently
The point is to people to UDNERSTAND not to live through the things that they try to prevent!
The use of lighting and colors are so nice.
absolute brilliant job on the character acting and lovely designs !
again super high quality work from the students of gobelins !
i am a little shocked with how blunt and direct this short is, makes me feel very uneasy. The short delivered this feeling very nicely
nice seeing you here YenYen
É uma referência as obras de Edgar Degas
this is a minor detail, but i love the way her expression was animated here at 2:34 -that slight scrunch of her face showing her distaste, it was so quick and so natural, i really commend the artist for this beautiful work.
it's interesting how Joséphine is the opposite of Louise: she comes from a wealthy family and still believes in love because she doesn't have to struggle to live. When Louise tells her that these shoes are too big she asks her innocently if she can't buy some, she doesn't realize her friend's financial situation. And the end is ironic, she says with annoyance to Louise that the party we found for her is an old man and Louise kindly makes fun of her, hiding the fact that she must on her side prostitute herself with old people, which is a much worse situation than her friend.
Brilliant comment
And tragically, Louise, once she marries, will very likely stop dancing. And Louise will lose her biggest support and only genuine friend.
I don’t think Josephine is as wealthy as you believe. She may be better off or seen as more desirable than Louise but she’s clearly still using her body same as Louise. For example at the beginning of the short we see her say she hopes she sees Lucini again which I think Louise go with. Her mother wasn’t trying to match her for a possible marriage prospect but more or less acting as her pimp. Apparently this was a common practice for mothers to basically act as pimps to their daughters in the ballet.
This film was stunning, charming and much more realistic than I expected - which was only refreshing! Every frame could be a painting, and a gorgeous one at that.
No reply demn
@@BigB6969 finally, the recognition I deserve.
@@majastenstameyes yesterday I was scrolling comments and all comments have thousands of likes , then ur comment got my attention it had 3.3k likes and now replies and I think I should do it
@@BigB6969 a Good Samaritan
Je crois sincèrement que c'est la première fois que je vois représenté dans une fiction audiovisuelle cet aspect (relativement documenté par ailleurs) de la vie des danseuses de l'opéra de Paris de l'époque. Bravo, très poignant.
Wait, you mean this is how they are treated for real?
@@insignia9325 not anymore hopefully
@@insignia9325 How they were, not anymore !! The short is set in mid- to late 19th century. At that time, the young dancers came from poor families and were more or less forced to find "protectors" to make a career. That was encouraged by the system of the Opéra de Paris, with "suscribers" paying to have access to the backstage and rehearsals (what we see in the film). You can also glimpse those men in the paintings by Degas, for example. Those situations often led to blurring the line between dance and prostitution. The sordid situation receded in the early 20th century with the syndication of the dancers among other things but I'm no expert and can't pinpoint when it disappeared.
De l’époque?! Genre oui il n’y a plus autant et si flagrant. Ça a une autre forme maintenant, plus discrète plus luxueuse, mais peu importe le décor, l’époque, l’histoire reste la même.
@@insignia9325 were and are, but it's a damn sight more discrete now.
Source: dated a dancer, she had horrific stories.
In the scene were Louise meets Emile i love how the animators make the difference in their size so obvious. Emile is a fully grown man taking advantage of a child's will to live and make ends meet. Bro's a predator. I also love how there's little to no hostility between Louise and Rosé. She understood that Rosé needed the money and knew what she had to do. When she gives Rose the money there's like this understanding between them. Like they both know what Louise did to get that money.
There's some details of the macaron scene that were already pointed out by other people, like how Rose has too many dancers at her service, so Louise is expendable, how the colors of the macarons are similar to the dresses of the ballet dancers and their experience (green = begginer, yellow = half experienced and red = expert/fully experienced), and how the macarons show how the men see the dancers to be, sweet, elaborate yet very simple little delights for them to feast on, but I want to point out another possible detail.
When Louise wants to pick a macaron, she wants to take the green one, this could represent how she wants to be young, possibly even to have her innocence and enjoy life in a better way, but then she realises she needs to be mature, to grow up, and that's when she chooses the red one, showing her aspiration to become an expert because of her need to survive, something she strives to be with conviction, almost like she's saying "it's not what I want, but I need to do it to survive, so I'll do it", and then she looks ar Rose and smiles, like saying "thanks, I'll do better next time, don't worry" with the red macaron showing what she wants not only to the viewer, but also to Rose.
Just a little detail that I think is possible, if not, it fits under the symbolism of the moment.
And I think it also really captures how normalized all of this is for the time. Rose just demanded money from her knowing full well a child would have to prostitute herself to pay her back, but she just casually offers the girl a macaron, because she DOES care about Louise, they are dancers, she knows exactly what Louise is and how she feels because she’s been there too. It’s just how life is for these women. A macaron, a kiss on the shoulder, a friendly “hey have a snack” after “sell your body for me”…this is their norm. It’s heartbreaking and terrifying and bittersweet all at once because even with all that symbolism, it’s also very much Rose’s way of thanking the younger girl.
@@d.v.3314 Yeah, after all, they're in 1895, they live in the world of the marginalized, digging for scraps, and I think one of the few good things under this symbolism (that was actually mentioned by another person in the comments) is the empowerment these women have in nudity, having the ability to show their most exposed state only to eachother shows control over who they truly show their raw selves to, that being the other women in the dressing room.
It's also a great detail to put Rose and Louise in a scene of proffesionalism and negotiation, with the latter giving the former her rent money, this accentuates the power of nudity in those women with the image of rose in 5:10 which not only shows her power but also her authority as a Louise's boss.
This is animated art with a great meaning behind it. Showing the "hidden" side to the glitz and lights, but at the same time still holding a hope for something better. As well as what comradery truly is and the lengths people will go to to protect those connections.
"hope for something better" - where did you see that? Sooner or later this girl will catch an STD and/or get pregnant, which might mean the end of her life. Where is the hope?
I love how the entire film looks like a painting. it makes the emotional impact of the subject matter even stronger. The world of the dancers is beautiful on the outside, but the true nature is often ugly. I also love how it showed the relationships between the dancers. Sometimes films about exploitation of women feel voyeuristic but this one has so much empathy for the women (maybe some of them girls in terms of age) it depicts.
I come back to this animation quite often since this was posted in 2021, and one thing I've yet to see people add is Louise's haircut. The way her bangs are cut are excellent in both character design (indicating that she's the protagonist so she stands out more from the other women/girls) and shows how young she is, since it is likely that because she has no money, and she doesn't seem the type to ask people for things, you can guess that she cuts her hair herself, skewing her bangs in the process because she's inexperienced. I absolutely love that feature about her, it's amazing.
I remember I made a comment about how sweet it was how she held her friend. How her friend kisses her shoulder and the only affection she gets is from her. And how she just tries to zone out with the man. I had to delete it cause people in the replies were arguing about something that had absolutely NOTHING to do what I was saying. I just thought it was so warm and sweet how she looks at her friend vs the man she slept with. But instead everyone wanted to focus on the rando man in the beginging that she rejected. It as never about him. I was talking about the tendermess between women, NOt some sad boy ugh
Coincidentally I saw a few articles and tiktoks revealing that the history of ballet was a sordid and disturbing one for the young girls on those stages. This aspect of the art of ballet needs to be more widely talked about, and this short film is a great introduction to this forgotten part of history.
this is the second time i am seeing someone seriously refer tik tok as a history source,wtf.
I find it especially poignant how hard it is to pin down Louise's age. She might be 9 (with her babyish face), 15 (with her use of language and interactions with her friends), or in her mid twenties (going by the modern standerds of sexual decency). In the twisted ballet of aristocracy it doesnt matter what age you are. You are either a man or a woman.
She's 14
I think she is at least 13 years old, because of how short she is, and her body type. She maybe a little older though. Because she seems to live alone, because of her not talking about living with people in the pointe shoe part.
What 13 year old is paying rent?
@@just-A.randomdude one that has to do whatever they can to get by. We can presume that she is an orphan because there is no mention or scene with her parenta
@@theplastictootle4709 fair enough
Je me demandais quelle était la signification de la chevalière que porte De Lucini (au moment de la scène de v.) et viens de voir deux choses. Premièrement la chevalière armoriée portée à l'auriculaire indique la condition noble de son propriétaire (ce que l'on avait déjà deviné avec la particule de son nom). Mais deuxièmement, lorsqu'elle est à la main droite, la présence de la chevalière signale que son détenteur est marié. C'est donc une société hypocrite qui est blâmée ici. Derrière les faux semblants, ceux qui se trouvent au sommet de la hiérarchie sociale n'ont pas plus de morale que les autres et trompent sans vergogne leur épouse. La seule différence c'est qu'ils sont plus fortunés. Excellent court-métrage. Rien n'est laissé au hasard.
Erratum : il n'y a plus de noblesse à proprement parler en 1895.
+ De Lucini est aussi évidemment ignoble moralement parce qu'il abuse de très jeunes filles sans remords.
je suis le seul français qui apprécie tant cette animation? les voix le mouvement et le détail est extra !
Non! Magnifique, j'ai pas les mots. Tellement profond, triste et beau...
No soy francesa pero es vrdd
J'aime tellement cette animation
Love how realistic and unfiltered this short is. This aesthetic depiction of how sad women's lives used to be just adds importance to the efforts toward women empowerment now. Excellent work yet again, Gobelins! 💙
Agreed!!
Definitely. It shows how far we've come while at the same time showing har far we still need to go. It was a subtle representation of a larger understanding.
Used to be?
@@andrewowens4421 yes!
"used to be"
I myself am a dancer, and I’m also 14. Some of these girls are probably somewhere close to my age, and so seeing what could’ve happened to me had I been living in this time is really terrifying.
Protect your friends.
the main character is 15 which well doesn't make this any better
take care of yourself out there and stay passionate about your dreams and careers, never give up!
Child trafficking comes in many professions.
i found it so interesting that her friend suggested that she go with charles, who seemed to be a tad more innocent than the other men, but louise laughed and dismissed it, and went on to find emile. i think that that little interaction was showing just how strategic these dancers had to be with their bodies to to survive....
aahhh shh th whole ting is about it😳
I love the colors for this one. The contrast between the warm lights were the girls are themselves, and the dark spaces where all the corruption is showed. I think it would be amazing to have an animated series with this vibe, like Over the Garden Wall, but a little longer -not necessarily about ballet. It's so well done. And the voices are so soft, almost like whispering, it makes the dancers more fragile. So clever!
It’s a sad but realistic depiction of what many dancers had to face.
Are you basing the reality in an animated short made by people with obvious bias?? I guess thats the real sad thing here, how easy is to fool and indoctrinate you.
@@fer_nanda4509 USA Gymnastics sex abuse scandal was not in 1890s but 1990s. Today is not dancers but gymnastics, what could be for tomorrow?
@@-noname-6730 abuse of men and women can happen anywhere. It is not something that happen in a general way un a single área.
@@fer_nanda4509 Film is about how those who got power (ex money, political right, interest ) abuse those who don't, and those power are generally dominated by men. Just check the ratio between men and women as leader of a nation or top 100 enterprise.
@@fer_nanda4509 are you french? Obviously no. It depicts french opera reality in the 19th century. Everybody knows how things worked in this time. Just look at Degas' work. Faut arrêter de dire des conneries en croyant être intelligent.
The hesitation of her hand in taking a treat--it is a subtle representation of their power dynamic: She brings her earnings to Rose, and in turn makes good on her obligation/debt, eating from her hand a little pastry, as if such a small trifle a commensurate reward for what she sacrifices.
Yes. There's a sad inconsistency shown there too... She's offered a treat for what she had to go through, treated as a child. But she had had to endure adulteration before her time.
It's little sadly
I also saw another comment say how the colours of the treats and the girls' dresses matched. The older girls, that were immediately with men, wore red, while Louise and other young girls wore the muted greens. Louise chose a red treat
at first i thought this was a friendly and cute animation then i was like: oh 😰
I know. It's heartbreaking isn't it
YES I GOT TRAUMATIZED , AGAIN@@GLO-kv8vk
Did anyone notice how Louise was completely without emotion while Dirt Bag took what he wanted? He’s a man, she’s a wo-girl…she’s a girl. That’s what she’s there for right? His pleasure. It’s what’s expected.
Did anyone notice how she wasn’t even wincing in pain because she’s so accustomed to it she probably doesn’t even feel it anymore? It’s a psychological thing. She goes somewhere else in her mind, and she’s been enduring this for so long that she’s able to completely block out what’s happening to her.
Men like him who clearly know nothing of women’s bodies (and don’t care to)…no prep…no lubrication…just take what they want and get mad or genuinely confused if she (any she) ever dared to complain. Men like him should be bent over and forced to endure what they inflict.
That’s how sex has viewed back then. Solely for men’s pleasure. This was realistic for what sex work looks like too. Of course this doesn’t make any of this ok, but it’s important to see this is what really happens, and has been happening to girls and women.
You worded this very weirdly. Could've been less creepy about it. Louise doesn't want to "be lubricated" or turned on, she needs money and that's it.
But ultimately I agree.
@@mildryfrr9970 how was what I said ‘worded weirdly’? How was it ‘creepy’?!
For women, it HURTS unless there’s LUBRICATION. If that wording, or even recognition of the physical, makes you uncomfortable that’s a you problem.
@@mildryfrr9970 I'd say she'd definitely want someone who would care for her pleasure as well, but alas they didn't get paid enough and the disgusting sort of men took advantage of that.
of course rapists don't care about victim's pleasure.
I honestly can’t remember a short that I enjoyed as much as this one. Besides its tragic story, the animation was so pleasing to watch. The atmosphere felt so real and almost raw, as if I was one of the dancers myself. I didn’t want it to end and would have loved to watch a full-length movie of Louise‘s life.
Bravo! I’m very impressed. This is animation at its finest. Merci!
I feel exactly the same. I want a feature length film of this.
French made an other good one called mr. Hublot.
Hmm I wonder if Rose is Louise's teacher, or merely a fellow ballerina. It's clear that Louise owes her money (whether that be for private or the tuition for her spot) and the film is so well done that nothing is presented upfront, but implied, making the interactions much more natural. Almost wish this was a full-length movie, just to learn more about the characters!
It explains why Louise is after men with money. I'm not sure why Rose was wanting money off Louise, it isn't really explained.
Rose is probably her fellow ballerina, just few years older. Ballet teachers were usually retired dancers, "too old" for the stage, difference in age would be much bigger. Also she wouldn't call her by first name then
Could Rose be the mistress or something? She might be Josephine’s mom.
She could be someone she borrowed money from or lost it at cards
The implication seems to be that she's a fellow dancer who went out on a limb for Louise and lent her money. Louise said she'd pay her back one too many times without doing so, and now Rose can't afford to let her stall anymore. She's gotta make rent and she needs to make that clear, but she doesn't do so in a strictly authoritative way. There's a desperate tinge to it when she makes it clear she needs that money tonight. When Louise gets her the money, things are back to rights between them and Rose offers her a macaroon. There's nothing to suggest that she holds so much more power over her, the way a madame, landlord, mistress, or mother would, as other comments have pondered. She's yet another girl changing backstage, likely a bit older and more experienced, but still in the same world as Louise. She had the kind of familiarity and distant caring aspect that an older sister type might have, hierarchy and camaraderie combined because they're in the same field trying to make ends meet.
I saw a lot of people misunderstanding but Louise doesn’t have to pay Roses rent!! Rose lended Louise some money but Rose now needs it and tells Louise to stop pushing it back because she (Rose) also has rent to pay and can’t give Louise her money or she will be homeless (it’s very clear in French but I guess this is a translation mistakes as many people misunderstood that part it seems)
when Louise takes the macaroon, she chooses the pink color, we already know that the macaroons are a representation of the dancers, being the ones that wear green dress the youngest and pink dress the most experienced. Louise tries to appear to be a more mature woman, who gives herself to be desired, that is why she hesitates when choosing a macaroon, but in the end she decides on pink, because that is what she tries to appear.
This is a MASTERPIECE itself. Depiction of reality and that unsettling feeling makes you just absolutely sad! Direction is amazing and so is the artwork!
this style is so surreal to my eyes for some reason, but i love it. I was EXTREMELY shook when that scene happened tho, how old are these dancers? Such a rollercoaster of feelings (like always with gobelins films tho :>)
Put it simply during that time is pretty wild
Most of the dancers in that era were 12-18 years old. And the man Charles is Charles Monet, known for his paintings of the Ballet
@@JulianaBlewett aren't you talking about Claude Monet?
@@mysteriousfigure1281 think you're right, just looked it up
Legal age exists for this reason. But that still doesn't apply in prostitution house till this day.
the animation is so simple yet so smooth and stylish, i like the social commentary and also how it showed the contrast of the intimacy of friendships of the girls helping each other compared to the numbing and disturbing quiet scene of Louise and that man
man i love comment sections like this
Seeing this as a child myself, same age as Louise, I could never imagine having to go through that and just pretending like it never happened. Or just accepting it. Poor girl.
How old is she?
@@lou.vincii 14-15
@@lou.vincii14
Pour moi c'est évident que c'est le meilleur court métrage de gobelin, l'animation est juste monstrueuse, elle se contente d'être extrêmement réaliste dans le mouvement et joue sur les plans pour raconter les dessous de cette histoire. Bravo au élève qui sont derrière ce travail !
Des élèves qui ont le niveau de professionnel en fin d'étude ça montre le sérieux de cette école !
Les élèves ont souvent un niveau technique déjà énorme en entrant.
@@remoraexocet je sais, je voulais y entrer avant🤣
@@leviwebert8366 Je pense que Remora disait ça par rapport à ta dernière phrase, que ce n'est pas forcément grâce au " sérieux de cette école " que les élèves ont un niveau de professionnel en sortant, mais plutôt parce qu'ils sont déjà très forts de base
@@so_rebi954 En général mes étudiants des gonelins n'ont jamais animé avant
J'aurais tellement voulu y aller mais cest bien trop cher..
@@so_rebi954 non l'école joue beaucoup à mon avis, après je ne connais pas son fonctionnement mais en voyant que tt ses élèves sont excellent c'est facile d'en déduire cela. Même en étant excellent en dessin au début un apprentissage cinématographique de qualité est indispensable pour atteindre un tel niveau de professionalisme. Après ce n'est que mon impression rien de forcément vrai.
This was excellent. It is shocking, might be uncomfortable for some but this was absolutely the reality of the time. The animation was wonderful, so fluid yet dreamlike at the same time. I think it’s an homage to Degas and all the other famous painters of the French scene in the 19th century.
Louise as a character is so interesting. Sarcastic yet sharp. Super young as well to be walking off with clients. This type of abuse is sadly something that still occurs (if you look at gymnastics for example). And Louise’s astoundingly honest about the whole ordeal. The fact that she reacts so nonchalantly and stoically during the sex scene clearly shows that she’s used to do this. Same goes for all of the other dancers of course. The fact that Louise’s friend’s (Joséphine) mother actually picked out the clients for her daughter… oh my god… regardless, wonderful work!
The fact that college students worked on this!! Wow… Super impressive, this must have taken forever to finish. Wonderful job!!
Not only that, but I’m certain that this could work as a mini series!! I’d even be stoked to see what goes on with the soloist or other girls but Louise is truly the perfect protagonist.
I thought she picked her husband not a client.
Interesting take. It made me think because I saw it a bit differently, though they did a good job of showing a girl who is both used to this world and defiant about it. There is sadness but it doesn't feel like the same old manipulative "all sex workers must be despondent and broken" trope. Seems to be somewhere in the middle.
Louise seems resigned, if not exactly stoic in my book. She takes the transaction in stride, but she's dead set on going home at the beginning despite it being packed. You see her ruminating in the aftermath alone when she has a second to herself, almost defeated, and forcing a smile when she eats the macaroon Rose offers her. It may have just been an off night for her and this is why the film focuses on this snapshot of time. But I think in some ways her demeanor is an act, and avoiding broke men is her excuse to avoid men altogether unless she absolutely needs money.
Despite complaining about needing new shoes, wearing an ill-fitting, itchy dress, and knowing she owed Rose money, she takes her hair down the second she can. She's barely getting by and yet she's not making an active attempt to acquire money from a rich man. Why? Especially when we see she clearly has before and knows just who to go to and how to play the game when the time comes. When she pins up her hair it's like she's putting on her game face. Now she looks like everyone else, when before she defiantly wore her hair loose. Why take it down at all if she had any desire to make extra money? I think it's because she actually struggles with the sex work aspect of her job and tonight it's harder to pretend she doesn't.
You can see her lingering glances on other girls just sitting and commiserating in the halls and on the stairs. Yes, she's looking for her De Lucini, but our eyes are meant to be drawn to people who have caught her eye, people who are either seemingly enjoying themselves with the men -- something we later see she doesn't do -- or avoiding them and chatting with other dancers instead. There's a wistfulness to it as she roams farther from the light while catching stray bits of conversation. I think she even pondered finding someone else if De Lucini eluded her, but the person she overhead said he was broke, so onward.
I agree that in the act she is stoic and makes the first advance, but I recall De Lucini saying he thought they would miss each other that evening. He was looking for her and she knew it. I took this to mean that she was actively avoiding him.
We see her grimace and disassociate, and we notice later on that she never retrieved the choker for her costume, which he just rips off. She was either careless and forgot it, or couldn't find it after, but when he takes it off she gives him an evil eye he likely can't see. I found that interesting, the quick flash of contempt when he is so haphazard with her limited possessions. She barely holds her composure until things get going, then she goes on autopilot. He's careless and rough, and I get the feeling she dislikes him and their encounters, but makes do. It's her avoidance of him that makes me think she's in part playing tougher than she is.
As for the e man her friend was talking about, whom her mother chose... it could have been a suitor, but honestly, it could be a customer/patron, too. Her mother seems to, at a minimum, want to find her a steady, long-term patron who will take care of them. Her disappointed face when she reunites with Louise makes me think she could have had sex with him and been disappointed to miss meeting the guy she wants. Something about the way Louise says her friend's mother makes bad choices makes me think she isn't dealing with chaste marriage proposals alone, and that the mother has picked other older men for her daughter who haven't panned out. I tend to think she does this because she doesn't trust her daughter to think with her head. She's a romantic and will end up with the broke guy.
@@kayjayhay One thing I also noticed( this is from personal observation ), that after that scene, Louise is sitting with her eyes are closed. When she opens them to the mirror across from her, she quickly glances down, not wanting to accept the life she is going to face.
@annapanes4743 good catch! I like how they didn't fall into the trope of having her do the lingering glance at herself. She just looks very young and very tired and very much like a painting, more preoccupied with her internal life.
@@finezyjnafantazja2495 It’s possible, but in this context, that is, the world of ballet, it’s most likely that Josephine’s mother chose a “protector”, or a “man in black” as they called them. These men were subscribers of the Opera, which meant they were granted the chance to observe as the ballerinas practiced, go backstage, and stay with them before the show or during the entracte. Many, many mothers allowed these men to have intercourse with the girls as long as they gave their “blessing”. The men would give money in return, and that was pretty much how these girls survived. Without a protector, a young girl had no chance of succeeding in her vocation.
One detail I noticed about Louise is that when she unties her bun and lets her hair down, she looks like a teenager. She looks her age. But when she sees her reflection and ties her hair back up, she looks more like an adult. Or rather, a teen trying to appear more mature and older than she actually is. It’s really sad because this is actually what some teens do, they try to act sexy and mature and it attracts the wrong people. Please cherish your youth and enjoy being a teenager because it goes by so quickly.
i am crying. i wish nobody had to live this way.
louise is such a fascinating character. i would totally watch a full-length film about her.
It's short films like these that make me miss the old animated movies, those that had a ton of effort put into every frame.
It's just so much more interesting and beautiful to look at compared to modern animation methods. There's a certain charm about seeing every pencil stroke in each frame, compared to the smooth lines.
yes i miss 2d animation so badly. we need a mix
ballet is a beautiful art form. it's a shame that it has such a sordid past, which was shown here. it's realistic and beautiful in every way - i personally loved the scene of josephine kissing louise's shoulder, and my second would be the macaron picking.
in that cruel, dark world, these women found solace in one another, and that really made my heart melt. it really is a blessing to have someone by your side through rough times, but now louise has to deal with the fact that josephine is going to be married off to some old man...
I honestly ADORE how even friends appreciate each other so much here, like that little kiss on the shoulder, the mini hugs, its whole different level of friendship and I'm all here for it!! 10/10 ✨👁️👄👁️🤌✨
Yes! You said it all, fellow!!
Yea
just a sappho and her friend
@shibes pao exactly what I was thinking. People pretending they don't exist smh
It might perhaps be because I'm European, but physical intimacy is not exclusive to romantic relationships here. Pecks on the cheek, holding hands, leaning on one-another - it's all very common.
Pour info : les gobelins est une des meilleures écoles de graphisme en France :)
I love the character design.
This feels as if you're looking through a painting, but the characters are simple enough to be animated.
Also, I love the animation to the dancing. And not just that, they also spent time animating the musicians. It feels so accurate.
the style looks so pretty already
I need 5 seasons of this level of immersive story telling. This 6 minute short is so refreshing that I cannot believe I’m just watching it a year later after it’s launch. Espectacular.
I'll be honest, It took me a couple of watches and a decent amount of comments to fully come to terms with how young Louise was supposed to be. I noticed right away just how small she was compared to the other dancers and even more so in the hand scene, but I really wanted to believe that she was just Petite. The hallway scene trully breaks my heart, even more so when you realise that in the moment, the "gentleman" doesn't care at all that Louise isn't really responding to the situation at all. It's a sure sign, even today, of when women pull themselves into their head to distract from the situation at hand. This whole thing is beautiful, and uncomfortably broken, just like the world Louise is living in.
Honestly, I can't stop watching this over and over again (when I should be studying for finals lol). The animation, plot, and criticism are rarely seen in period/historical dramas, let alone short films and especially those that are animated!! In large majority, period/historical dramas tell stories of the upper class, and seeing this was such a breath of fresh air, in a sense that it was raw, gritty, but in all the aspects beautiful and welcoming, oddly. As well to utilize animation in such a way that captures culture/aesthetic of that time, as someone who loves late 19th century-early 20th century history, this team did an outstanding job and I could tell right away which time-period they were going for. I also don't see enough people talking about the soundtrack! Absolutely genius. As Louise makes her descent into the outer parts of theater, the music becomes increasingly eerie, and at *that* scene it's completely silent to emphasize Louise's efforts to stay concentrated, or busy. And, the silence could also be trying to make the audience intentionally uncomfortable. So sad that this was only 6 minutes, however. There's a large opportunity to make a movie out of material such as this! Please consider it, as some people (such as myself) would kill for a movie like this.
Alors, le film est très beau et j'aimais ça tellement de!! (J’espere que mon anglais était OK). J'ai des problèmes avec du grammaire parfois mdr
There are some grammar errors but nothing incomprehesible. Overall nice attempt. I also think a film like that would be a hit. Loving Vincent was. Budget was 5,5 mln and it earned 42.1 mln.
if you don't mind me asking how'd your finals go?
It’s really sad cause she so desensitized to it like it happens everyday. It’s really unfortunate because this is how the real world is. Beautiful animation
It made me curious as to why she needed to get money for Rose. I guess if a girl was short on cash, the others worked to help her out.
@@reikun86 Rose is her crush. The brunette girl doesn't want her to suffer poverty. So she sacrefices herself for her happiness.
@@finezyjnafantazja2495 Another commenter said it was her mother asking for money to help with rent. Edit; scratch that. That's probably not her mother. No indication that this was her crush either. She seemed really backed into a corner with Rose demanding money. Could be a friend or a roommate.
@@finezyjnafantazja2495 wtff her crush??? where did that come from
@@finezyjnafantazja2495 rose is probably a adult woman and louise is 14...
the fact that she was just observing random things to kind of make it bearable and kind of pass the time as she waited for it to be over
she looks so unbothered at 4:08 which is proof that shes probabpy been through it many times
Just wow. This was definitely unexpected. But this was done exceptionally good. The track that's played at the end gave me goosebumps. Bravo to Gobelins and bravo to the amazing people that made this!
Such a beautiful short film, made by women that inspired me throughout the year both in the subject of choice and the beautiful artwork. It was a joy to watch this film come together and you should all be so incredibly proud of your achievement 💕✨
I love this shot 1:14 a random guy is taking up half the screen even tho louise is the focus here. Just showing the old rich men's power over these young girls
Phenomenal storytelling. What came from art became tragedy, and it is unfathomable that this was the norm. The silent agreement amongst all the women upon entering that dressing room was so heart wrenching, that none of them could complain because this is what they needed to do just to get by. But the care and comfort they have with each other is also so wonderful. That care and comfort still goes around today, but in different and much less intense contexts. That bond with women and other women is, to this day, so special.
Have you noticed that Louise looks much younger than the other dancers? She looks like a teenager and the others like grown adults
This is so beautifully made, but it hurts to watch.
I don't even know how many times I've come back here since this came out. I just love this short so much. Ca me hante et en même temps la personnage de Louise est tellement attachante et vive. Le doublage est hyper immersif aussi, bref je sais pas je vais continuer à le regarder encore et encore sans me lasser
I love how you really feel the realism in this, it is uncomfortable how natural the atmosphere is. The sense of the men being familiar but their relationships with them being empty. What’s most frightening about how women are objectified is how normalised it can be.
The most beautiful French Animated Short film that I ever watched
Toutes cette chaine en est rempli, je vous laisse découvrire ces merveilles
@@kynmve7039 En effet