Article originally published on March 9, 2023
Out of respect for Gabriel Harrivelle’s gender identity, this article uses the pronoun “iel”.
Self A happy man this is out in theaters Wednesday February 15th, he already talked about it months ago. comes across as a comedy along the lines of What have we done to God? and of La Cage aux Folles by its distributor, directed by Fabrice Luchini and Catherine Frot. Nothing exceptional so far – apart from the fact that the two stars will give the rerun for the first time, under the eye of the camera of Tristan Séguéla.
A cast that raises questions
It is rather the starting point of the film that calls: the character of Catherine Frot announces to her husband, Fabrice Luchini, conservative mayor of a small town in northern France in the countryside for his re-election, of his desire to make his pass. It is therefore the issue of trans identity that will be at the center of the story, with the lead actress playing the role of a trans man.
If the film has already been seen months ago, it is thanks to Pomme Ferron. This 25-year-old actress is something of an informant. In November 2020 she passes the casting for the role of Carole, a trans woman who arrives in the protagonist’s life and who will advise and support him in her journey.
As a trans woman herself, reading the script angered her deeply: “Catherine Frot trans man, I was already a bit puzzled”, she says. And to continue:
“I still agreed to see the script and go through the casting. I thought the film would still be made as long as there were trans people. I was curious to know more. But the script in front of me, I said to myself “I can’t play it, defend it, not even for money.” »
While the production seems to make an effort to cast trans actors and actresses for the roles of trans people, it hasn’t entirely avoided certain transphobic clichés, nor the mention of deadname of the main person in each line of the script (her old name — the use of which can, under real conditions, be very violent when you are a trans person). On Twitter, the actress listed all the problematic aspects that she identified:
“The problem is that we keep making films about transitions, in this case under the guise of humor, but other times under the guise of emotion”explains.
“We just want to show trans people show transitions, when we could be talking about many other things. »
If the film is made according to her, it’s mainly because trans people are the trending topic of the moment and that the film industry sees it as a good way in.
Pomme Ferron deleted excerpts from the script he had published, threatened with legal action by the production. Contacted by Madmoizelle, Albertine Productions declined to comment.
Tired of clichés about trans people
In general, the actress regrets that transidentity is always treated so monolithically:
“Transidentity is not ONE topic, it encompasses many things, there are many possible stories. I think of “A fantastic woman” [de Sebastián Lelio, meilleur film étranger aux Oscars en 2018, ndlr]which speaks of welcoming the family, of transphobia…”
Pomme Ferron also points out how trans women have long been portrayed:
“There are more representations today, but they are not always positive. Trans women are often used as a plot twist, or to elicit disgust, sometimes laughter. They are psychopaths or fantasies. »
From The silence of the lambs TO The Danish girl Passing through Ace Venturacinema is full of violent representations for trans people, as the Netflix documentary has shown Disclosure.
Understanding cis gauze
It is to avoid these many pitfalls that Gabriel Harrivelle created Representrans. They work as consultants to the productions so that trans characters are respectfully written and portrayed on screen. For example, they collaborated on writing the role of Max in the sixth season of France !
Just as there is a male gaze in the representation of women, a direct gaze at those of gay or lesbian relationships, there is also a cis look, a look of cisgender people on trans people in cinema, theorized by Galen Mitchell and Julia Serano. Gabriel Harrivelle insists:
“We experience this look at the cinema but also in our daily life, at the doctor’s, at school, at work. It’s not necessarily a malevolent gaze, but it locks us into norms, it feeds on all the previous representations over which trans people had no control. »
Trying to change the film industry
Through his work as a consultant, Gabriel Harrivelle does not want to stop productions from showing stories with trans characters, but rather sensitize them, lead them to deconstruct their own prejudices — in writing, production, casting…
“I’m not here to censor. What I bring is an awareness of the mechanisms of this cisgender gaze. What we see in the cinema are often the same things: transitions, operations, reactions of loved ones. »
Kay Garnellen, comedian and trans, auditioned for a role in A happy man. Just like Pomme Ferron, he knows this project will happen no matter what. “It’s a first step towards visibility”, He believes. Sure, not perfect, but who can help make things better, in his opinion.
“On the one hand there is what I would like to see, that is a respectful film made by interested people, and what we can get today in a cinema where there are no directors or transcriptists in charge. The film will touch people who have never seen or heard of a trans guy. »
The actor hopes so too behind this comedy other films could emergefind funding, and in addition to other stories, other points of view are finally visible.
Matter of context
In view of the pass ofA happy man, Gabriel Harrivelle wonders how the film will create empathy with the general public. They draw a parallel with another play, Cursed grasswhich featured, which was rare in 1995, lesbians.
“In “Gazon maudit”, Alain Chabat played this loathsome, sexist and homophobic man with great finesse. Thanks to his character, we were on the side of Josiane Balasko, who played a butch lesbian. Will we have the same delicacy with Fabrice Luchini to denounce the transphobia of his character? »
He also insists on the context of the distribution of a work: airing today, the 1978 film La Cage Aux Folles it probably wouldn’t have the same reception from gays…
A happy man it revives a perpetual debate for minorities: is all visibility good to take? While trans people speaking out on this coming comedy may not necessarily all agree, nevertheless they do unite on one issue: as long as trans people will no longer have opportunities to see themselves in French cinema or seriesone film alone will not be able to meet all expectations in terms of performance.
Featured Image Credit: © Gaumont
Source: Madmoizelle
Mary Crossley is an author at “The Fashion Vibes”. She is a seasoned journalist who is dedicated to delivering the latest news to her readers. With a keen sense of what’s important, Mary covers a wide range of topics, from politics to lifestyle and everything in between.
