Conann’s life is both dreamlike and nightmarish, followed by Rainer, she is seen through it from childhood to adulthood, from slave to queen.
From writer/director Bertrand Mandico, this film has a darker mood than his previous feature After Blue but feels very much like it’s within the same universe. The story and the style of storytelling are similar, clearly establishing the author’s genre, one that is very much of his own, one where women are everywhere, men are very few is there at all, and beings of all kinds have stories to tell and destinies to achieve. While this film’s style a bit more fluid depending of which era of Conann’s life is depicted, all styles work together beautifully and create a universe for the viewer to get lost into.
The cast here is interesting with Elina Löwensohn playing the hellhound Rainer is a highlight of the film. She’s fantastic here just as she was in After Blue. She gives a performance that is partially covered with facial prosthetics for the entirety of the film and yet makes the most of the part and gets her emotions and narration through. Yes, she’s a bit of a narrator here, one who follows and somewhat guides the lead of Conann. Conann as a character has no less than 6 different actresses playing her throughout her life. In order, as they must all be recognized here, they are: Claire Duburcq (Conann at 15), Christa Théret (Conann at 25), Sandra Parfait (Conann at 35), Agata Buzek (Conann at 45), Nathalie Richard (Conann at 55), and Françoise Brion (Queen Conann and dead). This aging and evolution could easily have been done with aging makeup and/or cgi, but clearly the director her had a vision and followed through with half a dozen talented actresses who really make Conann who she is with varied yet connected performances. These performances sell the film throughout and make it a bit more magical with each change of actress and setting (as each age and era has its own setting in the film).
The film’s appearance here is quite particular and lovely with cinematography by Nicolas Eveilleau. The work by Eveilleau works great with the lighting, the moods created on the sets, and the almost fog-like look to the atmosphere. There’s a lot going on here and the cinematography works great with all of it, helping create a universe of the film’s very own that fits with director Mandico’s vision. The look of the film is very strong, inspired even with some early photography influences, some high fashion influences, and some music video influences. There is a lot here and it all comes together to create that dreamlike look that makes the viewer unsure if it’s a dream or a nightmare, but it doesn’t matter as it all feels right for the story.
She Is Conann is one of those visual adventures that is as much about the packaging as it is about the story. The story is one that draws the viewer in with mystery shrouding the proceedings, a narrator that is partially a dog, a flow that is a bit vague at times, and the final result is a film that is mesmerizing, beautiful, and makes one wonder about many things in life.