19/03/2014 - With her feature debut, Post-Partum, a kind of tale of ordinary madness, Delphine Noels delivers an extraordinary interpretation of postnatal depression

Today sees the Belgian release of Post-Partum [+see also:
trailer
interview: Delphine Noels
film profile], the feature debut by Delphine Noels, who is known for her short films (1 clé pour 2, Ni oui ni nom). Co-written with David Lambert (Beyond the Walls [+see also:
film review
trailer
making of
interview: David Lambert
film profile]), Post-Partum portrays the downward spiral of Luce, a distraught young mother who each day feels more and more distant from her newborn child. Even though her relatives suffocate her with peremptory advice about how to bring up a child, Luce tumbles into the gaping, bottomless abyss that exists between the image of the perfect mother that society and her close family impress upon her, and her own experiences as a young mother. Despite the fact that she makes increasingly clumsy, and even reckless, efforts to conform to this disguise of the ideal mother, she sinks into a deep-seated state of lunacy, exacerbated by the lack of understanding shown by those close to her, who never really seem to comprehend her unease. 

Delphine Noels takes a firm grasp of this well-known illness and tips it over into madness. What initially promises to be a family drama about how difficult it is for a couple to welcome a newborn into their lives gradually evolves into a fantasy thriller, in which there are lingering doubts over everybody’s intentions and over the attitude of Luce herself. The female lead is played by Mélanie Doutey. In this film, the actress (who is often seen in bubbly roles) provides Luce with a real intensity behind her increasingly forced smile, but also with a certain familiarity, making Luce’s madness all the more unsettling because of its lack of theatricality. Joining her, and remaining firmly in the background, is Jalil Lespert, who plays her husband, a man who is completely overwhelmed by his wife’s madness, which he thinks must probably just be woman’s troubles, thus reinforcing the role of the oppressive mother-in-law, played by Françoise Fabian.

Post-Partum is produced by FraKas, in co-production with Les Productions Balthazar (France) and PTD Studio (Luxembourg). The film has received support from backers including the Centre du Cinéma et de l’Audiovisuel and Wallimage. Paul Thiltges Distribution is releasing the film in four cinemas.

(Translated from French)