Winner of the Best TV Movie Award and the Foreign Press x Unifrance Award at the latest Festival de la Fiction de La Rochelle, and recently selected for TAFFF (The American French Film Festival), The Test offers viewers an original and luminous tale. The story of Ambre, a young single mother determined to become independent no matter what, is interwoven with the discovery of a little-known world, that of a special unit of Paris's waste management services.
Thierry Langlois, Managing Director and producer at Morgane Production, and Marie-Laure Hébrard, CEO and international film distributor at Film & Picture, talk about the genesis and development of the project, and its international potential.
Unifrance: How did the idea for this TV movie come about? What interested you in this project?
Thierry Langlois: It was Fanny Chesnel, the film's scriptwriter, who suggested the idea to our producer Chloé Besomi. It was originally a series project, which I discovered when I joined Morgane Production. As a former broadcaster, I was intrigued and seduced by the proposal, but quickly realized that it might be complicated to sell as a series. We're in a very particular arena, with a story that covers two dimensions: firstly, a woman's struggle as expressed by the emancipation of the main character, Ambre; and secondly, the discovery of a world that is little-known, not to say despised in our society, that of waste management and all it entails, and more specifically how it operates in Paris.
The subject interested us because of its originality. We immediately thought of the public service to accompany us. We were in a societal register, highlighting some of the invisible people in our society. At a press briefing in La Rochelle, Stéphane Sitbon Gomez, Director of "Antennes" and Programs at France Télévisions, and Anne Holmes, Director of Programs, announced that France Télévisions wanted to develop its dramatic fiction range to deal more consistently with these kinds of subjects.
When we started pitching the project as a series with Chloé, we really understood that it would be complex. The move to 90 minutes was also the result of our discussions with France Télévisions, who were immediately very interested but shared our reservations about the format. It was a big risk for them, on a subject that wasn't necessarily a draw-card.
This change of format had a major impact on the project…
TL: Almost all the characters from the film were present in the series, but developed in a more substantial way. We were interested in the individual trajectories of several of the secondary characters, notably that of the character played by Bernard Campan. The TV movie format led us to focus the story on the character of Ambre.
Marie-Laure Hébrard: All the work we put in beforehand is also what makes the characters so fully rounded!
The film immerses us in the little-known Parisian waste management unit known as La Fonctionnelle. How did you approach it?
TL: We did a great deal of research work into La Fonctionnelle, the Parisian cleaners and garbage collectors who intervene, often on an emergency basis, in complex situations. This unit really exists, and is headed by a strong woman, who herself arrived in the job as a single mother. This real-life character greatly inspired our authors Fanny Chesnel and Noémie de Lapparent to build the character of Ambre.
How did you balance reality and fiction?
TL: We wanted to deal with the film's two subjects without favoring one over the other. On the one hand, the story of a young woman's emancipation, and on the other, the professional dimension, with the discovery of the world of garbage collectors, a very masculine profession, which added an extra dimension. We didn't want to fall into the trap of miserabilism, because that's not what we saw when we met the various people involved. There are sterling and universal values of humanity and solidarity, which I think we managed to convey in the film.
We went to shoot in La Fonctionnelle's premises and in their training center, because we wanted as much authenticity as possible.
Was it complex to shoot on the site?
TL: Of course this involves constraints, but they were very moved and touched that we were there, and they were very supportive and helpful in the production and in providing what we needed. We were quickly given a very warm welcome.
As far as financing is concerned, the Île de France region generally doesn't give much in the way of production grants for stand-alone telefilms. In this case, they helped us in a rather significant and unusual way, because we were giving visibility to a subject that hadn't been dealt with until then.
Was the choice of director Akim Isker, who had already tackled the theme of a child's bond with his mother in L'Enfant de personne (Nobody's Child), an obvious one?
TL: Neither Chloé nor I knew Akim personally, but we had seen his work, particularly L'Enfant de personne. The character of the young child, played by Amaury Leroy, is very important in The Test. In calling on Akim, we were looking both for his talent and sensitivity, which helped produce the lovely L'Enfant de personne, but also for the certainty of choosing someone who knew how to work with young children. This requires a special kind of directing. As Akim explains so well, a four-year-old doesn't know he's acting, but he has to be able to see it as a game. Obviously, we had specific coaching, support, and a lot of supervision for Amaury.
What makes the project unique, especially for an international audience?
TL: The showcase La Rochelle offered the film was very important to us. The narrative unfolds in the world of Parisian waste management, so it's a fairly localized setting. But the international dimension is driven by the universal values of humanity I've mentioned, which the film conveys. The subject of single mothers is not specific to France, unfortunately. The Test offers an X-ray of society that should be able to resonate in other territories.
MLH: And yet, the film remains very luminous! Women's struggles are universal, and its this dimension that international broadcasters are looking for. Few public television channels have produced TV movies on this subject, and the few buyers I met in La Rochelle were very sensitive to the subject and its treatment. The relationship between Ambre and her child is also very affecting.
TL: The relationships between this child, his grandparents, his mother, and even his friends afterwards, are indeed very lovely; they provide a narrative resource that works well.
MLH: There's a multigenerational aspect to the film that is a good unifier for television. This is extremely positive for the film. There are also some gorgeous views of Paris, which doesn't hurt its international appeal. The film brings together some very promising elements.
The film does capture lovely views of Paris, but also less glamorous glimpses behind the scenes...
MLH: Personally, I didn't know that La Fonctionnelle existed. We discover a universe and learn things we didn't know, we learn to look at the invisible. The film allows us to develop real empathy for these people whose role we tend to forget, even though they are present on a daily basis and perform an essential service for the community.
TL: As we were leaving the first team screening we'd organized, a garbage truck drove past us. The garbage collectors couldn't understand why everyone was suddenly applauding them! They're people you walk past and don't look at, even though their work is essential. Beyond the difficult working hours, the heavy loads to be carried, and the weather conditions, it's a psychologically complicated job. As we can see in one of the scenes in the film, these collectors are directly confronted with human hardship and misery.
The subject is certainly a heavy one, but we wanted to tackle it with a sunny approach, particularly through the character of Ambre. Frankie Wallach is terrific in this role. The whole cast is absolutely remarkable, but when Frankie met Akim for the first time, it was pretty obvious they'd do great work together.
Do you have any initial feedback to share after the broadcast on France 2 in September?
TL: In addition to the press, rarely so unanimous about the quality of a film, the broadcaster also received very positive and laudatory feedback, and the film scored one of the highest tallies for a film on France Télévisions' dramatic fiction slate! The Test stands out for its originality and its educational dimension. We're very proud of it.
The Test won the Best TV Movie Award and the Foreign Press x Unifrance Award at the latest Festival de la Fiction de La Rochelle Fiction. How do you see the film's international career unfolding after these awards?
MLH: This award from the foreign press is a real international recognition, which becomes a label of quality internationally. When we started sending screening links to our clients, a week after we had pitched the film at the Unifrance Rendez-Vous in Le Havre, it had just won this award, which offered a tremendous argument in the film's favor. Such awards make it a priority for buyers to see a film. The film's selection at TAFFF in Los Angeles added to this, which is great!
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