Slalom

I admit to having no idea what the word "slalom" meant before a simple online search took me to a basic definition: to zigzag between obstacles. It is a fitting title for the debut feature film of writer and director Charlène Favier, a drama about a 15-year-old ski prodigy and her strict, predatory instructor. The girl, named Lyz and played by Noée Abita, has a variety of expected obstacles: navigating obnoxious boys and jealous friends on top of schoolwork that bores her, separated parents, and the enormous pressures of her competitive sport. Her wolfish coach, played by Jérémie Renier, makes things considerably worse.

Not long after the Me Too movement started in the United States, toppling about 200 men in various different fields, it found its way to France with #BalanceTonPorc (OutYourPig). However, in France, few men were held accountable initially. What made things worse was the infamous letter signed by 100 women calling the movement "puritanism." "To these women and the many who agreed with them," Monique El-Faizy wrote earlier this year, "#MeToo was a puritanical overreaction and an affront to French values and the country's cherished culture of seduction." 

Things started to change last year with the publication of Vanessa Springora's memoir titled Consent, which detailed her relationship that started when she was fourteen with writer Gabriel Matzneff (who for a long time has openly written about his child rape activities but never faced prosecution). Then, Camille Kouchner published La Familia Grande, in which she accused her stepfather, the political scientist Olivier Duhamel, of sexually abusing her brother when he was fourteen. Adèle Haenel walked out of the César Awards after Roman Polanski won Best Director. More allegations came, and #BalanceTonPorc spawned #MeTooIncest and #MeTooGay to more broadly tackle the problem. France was catching up and changing.   

As France and the world continue to challenge sexual abuse and the protection of the abusers, films like Slalom are vital. Several U.S. films have been themed around Me Too (like The Assistant and Athlete A, both from last year), but to my knowledge Slalom is the first OutYourPig movie from France. Given what we know about Matzneff, Duhamel, and others, it is fitting that the protagonist in this drama is underage, and even though Abita was in her early twenties during filming, she convincingly looks and can act like a teenager. (It's the same reason why Léa Mysius cast her in Ava as a teenager.) The coach character Renier plays (named Fred) is overly cruel to Lyz in front of the others on the team, but at least some of them feel there is a method to his madness. "He crushes, you listen," one of the other teenage girls tells her, "and you get better." There is a cycle to Fred's behavior—he's harsh, then soft, then "cool," then loving.

Lyz undoubtedly is passionate about skiing, so she doesn't let his authoritarian methods hinder her ambition, instead excelling at skiing and becoming Fred's favorite. But in addition to the favoritism, there is lots of inappropriate touching from Fred. Lyz possibly has a crush on him, and her lack of a father figure and largely absent mother probably make her especially vulnerable to Fred's attention and seduction, but even when his touching becomes explicitly sexual, she tells Fred of her love for him. He might have fallen in love with her, too, if he didn't soon realize the suspicions of those around him, including his wife (played by Marie Denarnaud). 

Favier and Marie Talon's script is a potent one, and it's important to remember that decades ago, the angle of the (likely male) filmmakers would have been to make this story as an innocent coming-of-age tale of innocent yet deep romance. Yet here, Favier and Talon are on the side of Me Too, not Catherine Devenue (one of the co-signers of the anti-#MeToo letter). In addition to the sharp script and the phenomenal acting (especially from the film's two leads), cinematographer Yann Maritaud's camera actively pursues the skiers as they race downhill in a way that is thrilling.       

At times, Slalom is predictably not an easy film to watch, especially when Lyz and Fred are alone together. That's the point, though. Nothing about the Me Too movement has been easy. It has required a great deal of bravery from victims, and it has required that society change its behavior and hold perpetrators accountable. This has not always happened, as we have seen. In addition to the initial pushback in France, there are signs that things may be heading in the wrong direction, especially this past week, which saw the release of Bill Cosby after only three years behind bars after being found guilty of three counts of aggravated indecent assault; sixty women have accused Cosby of rape and other sexual misconduct. This fight to change society is far from over, and many more movies like Slalom are needed.