Photographer/artist Valerie Massadian's debut film 'NANA' tells the sentimental and momentarily disturbing story of a bright four-year-old girl left alone in the woods for days, when her seemingly depressed mother suddenly goes missing. This piece cleared awards for 64 degrees' Festival de film Locarno Best First Feature, Fic Valdivia International Film Competition 2011, and the Istanbul International Independent Film Festival 2012.
The film opens to a locked-off single-shot of a long, manual and unfabricated execution of a farmed pig. Two male relatives of Nana slowly comfort the animal in order to shoot a pulse of air into its brain, stunning it into a violent shake before draining its blood. The young girl watches this from the doorway of the barn by her mothers' side; questioning and stating facts, more intrigued than concerned. They proceed to cook the animal, covering it in straw and setting a small fire. This seemingly uncut and torturous scene, agonising to watch and causing vocal disgust amongst the audience, set up for the scape of the film; the raw, country lifestyle in which many children grow up.
The next scene contrasts with a far lighter mood. Nana sits in her Grandfather's lap in the barn where piglets slowly make their way out of hiding. The two pet the piglets and laugh together before she adorably exclaims '--they're little roasts!' catching you off-guard, knowing what she had just witnessed. Taking you through the day-to-day regular occurrences, she and her mother spend their time together in a very relaxed atmosphere sharing dialogue over a minimalistic track; running around the countryside, climbing over tree stumps and collecting the essentials of life - firewood, water, setting up rabbit's traps, etc. A heart-warming scene of the girl in hysterics as her mother sprays water into her face is one of the last moments we see them together.
The woman's disappearance is ambiguous and untold. It is now that the girl wakes up alone; seemingly unphased by the fact that no one is around. She goes about her day as she always has, walking through the countryside collecting life's essentials. She follows the same path, throwing wood into the fire, collecting the trapped rabbit and taking it home, then using the same burning technique she witnessed her Grandfather perform earlier on the pig.
The dramatic but naturalistic piece is ultimately about the underestimated ability of young children and survival at a susceptible age; following learned habits and tricks of those who have nurtured the child. With no one around, there are themes of isolation, loneliness and solitude, perhaps relating to the disappearance of Mama. Massadian seems to have been curious about how exactly a child would act if they were to be left alone under such strange circumstances, and has just let the action take place, seemingly bordering on documentary. Nana swears confidently and openly as she draws and role-plays as a character from her past. As one would grow to expect from a photographer, the film is a visual masterpiece utilizing natural light to illuminate locations and moods. The avante-garde film, being a first for both the cast and the director, is something to see even in terms of studying the human psyche.
The film opens to a locked-off single-shot of a long, manual and unfabricated execution of a farmed pig. Two male relatives of Nana slowly comfort the animal in order to shoot a pulse of air into its brain, stunning it into a violent shake before draining its blood. The young girl watches this from the doorway of the barn by her mothers' side; questioning and stating facts, more intrigued than concerned. They proceed to cook the animal, covering it in straw and setting a small fire. This seemingly uncut and torturous scene, agonising to watch and causing vocal disgust amongst the audience, set up for the scape of the film; the raw, country lifestyle in which many children grow up.
The next scene contrasts with a far lighter mood. Nana sits in her Grandfather's lap in the barn where piglets slowly make their way out of hiding. The two pet the piglets and laugh together before she adorably exclaims '--they're little roasts!' catching you off-guard, knowing what she had just witnessed. Taking you through the day-to-day regular occurrences, she and her mother spend their time together in a very relaxed atmosphere sharing dialogue over a minimalistic track; running around the countryside, climbing over tree stumps and collecting the essentials of life - firewood, water, setting up rabbit's traps, etc. A heart-warming scene of the girl in hysterics as her mother sprays water into her face is one of the last moments we see them together.
The woman's disappearance is ambiguous and untold. It is now that the girl wakes up alone; seemingly unphased by the fact that no one is around. She goes about her day as she always has, walking through the countryside collecting life's essentials. She follows the same path, throwing wood into the fire, collecting the trapped rabbit and taking it home, then using the same burning technique she witnessed her Grandfather perform earlier on the pig.
The dramatic but naturalistic piece is ultimately about the underestimated ability of young children and survival at a susceptible age; following learned habits and tricks of those who have nurtured the child. With no one around, there are themes of isolation, loneliness and solitude, perhaps relating to the disappearance of Mama. Massadian seems to have been curious about how exactly a child would act if they were to be left alone under such strange circumstances, and has just let the action take place, seemingly bordering on documentary. Nana swears confidently and openly as she draws and role-plays as a character from her past. As one would grow to expect from a photographer, the film is a visual masterpiece utilizing natural light to illuminate locations and moods. The avante-garde film, being a first for both the cast and the director, is something to see even in terms of studying the human psyche.
