The Cinematheque

Vancouver Premiere

“An intimate, moving, intelligent doc … Sometimes tragic, often painful, but it is always instructive—demystifying and de-objectifying the female body, which is still the locus of so much secrecy and mystery.”

Jessica Kiang, Variety

Owing to DOXA and its discerning ​“French French” program, the exquisite oeuvre of London-born French documentarian Claire Simon is uniquely familiar to Vancouver filmgoers. Simon fans, take note (all others, you too): the veteran auteur’s latest is a major work, a culmination of a career-long fascination with institutions and the diversity of experiences they foster. A standout at this year’s Berlinale, Our Body is a tender and intelligent portrait of women and their bodies, told through the day-to-day operations of a public gynecological ward in Paris. With care and admirable candor, Simon captures intimate, sometimes difficult doctor-patient encounters—around fertility, abortion, gender affirmation, and much else—as well as scenes of childbirth and moments at life’s end. It is a testament to Simon’s upstanding sensibilities that when she unexpectedly becomes a patient herself, she affords her body no greater significance than any other in this tremendous, tellingly titled gift of a documentary.

In French with English subtitles

The August 31 screening will include an introduction by Dorothy Woodend, culture editor for The Tyee and former programming director of DOXA Documentary Film Festival.

“A film about the fragile link between personhood and embodiment, and the ways in which encounters with health care can alternately fortify or damage this bond … The film radiates concern for the dignity of the patients.”

Erika Balsom, Film Comment

“Our Body tells the hidden, forgotten, and ignored stories of female bodies … There are no protagonists or single stories to be followed, just multitudes of experiences—at once singular and shared.”

Tara Judah, Screen International