Back to theater school by Patrice Chéreau and Pierre Roman

Before becoming the actress and director that we know, Valeria Bruni Tedeschi spent her young apprenticeship years the theater school of Nanterre: the Amandiers. She, but also Agnès Jaoui, Vincent Perez or even Thibault de Montalembert have been there. They were forty first, in the middle 1980s, to participate in the very selective theater course. And only a dozen were chosen by Patrice Chéreau and Pierre Romans, the directors of the theater and the school, to continue the adventure. This is what tells us Valeria Bruni Tedeschi with his new feature film, and obviously more.

With Noémie Lvovsky and Agnès De Sacy (writing), the director has inspired by his experience and that of former students of the school. Not entirely fictional, nor entirely biographical, The Almond Trees is in between. Which makes it all the more disturbing. Admittedly, the names have been changed (except Chéreau and Romans). But it seems pretty obvious that Stella is overtly inspired by Bruni Tedeschi. While the character of Etienne would be a childhood friend of the author.

So here we are in this school while the troupe must prepare the play Platonov by Anton Chekhov. Quite quickly, we become passionate about the exercises and the repetitions. The search for the right tone, to play, to move. All under the direction of a Authoritative and passionate chereau, and filmed as close as possible to the faces, grain to the image for the authentic aspect. Young people laugh, cry, howl with excitement, joy or sadness. Emotions are strong and hit us in the face. It’s sometimes beautiful and moving, sometimes hysterical and annoying.

The youth of an era

With The Almond TreesValeria Bruni Tedeschi thus renders tribute to actors and actresses. The troop it constitutes, with known faces and others less (if at all), excels without a doubt. Everyone finds their account, whether in the foreground or further back. We note the passionate performance of Nadia Tereszkiewicz (Stella) and the usual accuracy of Louis Garrel by Patrice Chereau. The latter is also admired, but the filmmaker has the honesty not to erase his faults.

We also particularly note Micha Lescot (Pierre Roman) and the softness of her gaze, or even the inhabited proposition of Sofiane Bennacer (although her character, Etienne, annoys in toxic dark brown). And even if their names will probably mean nothing to you, we wouldn’t be surprised to soon see those of Clara Bretheau, Noham Edje, Eva Danino or even Oscar Lesage.

But beyond this dive into the world of theatre, The Almond Trees rest a film about youth (we note the absence of adults) through an era. The 1980s, around 1985-1986. We will hear for example Chernobyl announced on the radio. While AIDS, which wreaks havoc, will directly or indirectly affect these young people, just like drugs. One thinks then in particular of Panic in Needle Park (1971) by Jerry Schatzberg in the way that the director of go from joy to distress. This brings out a moving portrait of a generation that is still a little carefree, full of desire and freedom, which is (literally) driving at a hundred miles an hour and will not come out unscathed.

The Almond Trees by Valeria Bruni Tedeschi, in theaters on November 9, 2022. The film was presented at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival in official competition.