'Mouchette' is a film shot simplistically and delicately, which captures the angst and despair of a 14 year old girl.
The opening sequence entails the capture of a bird in a poachers trap; we witness long length shots and intense close-ups of a gamekeeper spying on the poacher. Only natural sounds of footsteps and rustling trees are audible. Instantly, we could argue this unpleasant image of the trapped bird, parallels the entrapment of Mouchette in her abandoned life. Interestingly the poacher in these scenes, Arsene, later traps Mouchette in luring her into a false sense of security, reinforcing his role as a poacher.
From the beginning, Bresson's attention to realistic natural diegetic sounds emulates Mouchette's destitute, impoverished lifestyle. This technique also enables the audience to focus primarily on the visuals. Dialogue is dispersed through the film and appears in only brief quantities. The raw stark shots of Mouchette's struggle, for example, tending to her mother, sitting alone in the forest and walking home alone after school contrast with the brief moment at the funfair in which she evades the reality of her life. I could not help but differentiate these busy, active shots, accompanied by an upbeat diegetic soundtrack and close-ups of Mouchette's happiness from her solidarity before and after this sequence. This moment, the only point where we see her physically and emotionally content, is taken from her suddenly and becomes one of our first reflections on our sympathy for her. Added to this are the recurring medium close-ups of Mouchette's frown, which I found prominent when reflecting on the film.
I think many people who have seen 'Mouchette' will note that although the closing sequence is sudden and perhaps bleak, you cannot help feeling a sense of catharsis due to the ending of Mouchette's suffering.
The opening sequence entails the capture of a bird in a poachers trap; we witness long length shots and intense close-ups of a gamekeeper spying on the poacher. Only natural sounds of footsteps and rustling trees are audible. Instantly, we could argue this unpleasant image of the trapped bird, parallels the entrapment of Mouchette in her abandoned life. Interestingly the poacher in these scenes, Arsene, later traps Mouchette in luring her into a false sense of security, reinforcing his role as a poacher.
From the beginning, Bresson's attention to realistic natural diegetic sounds emulates Mouchette's destitute, impoverished lifestyle. This technique also enables the audience to focus primarily on the visuals. Dialogue is dispersed through the film and appears in only brief quantities. The raw stark shots of Mouchette's struggle, for example, tending to her mother, sitting alone in the forest and walking home alone after school contrast with the brief moment at the funfair in which she evades the reality of her life. I could not help but differentiate these busy, active shots, accompanied by an upbeat diegetic soundtrack and close-ups of Mouchette's happiness from her solidarity before and after this sequence. This moment, the only point where we see her physically and emotionally content, is taken from her suddenly and becomes one of our first reflections on our sympathy for her. Added to this are the recurring medium close-ups of Mouchette's frown, which I found prominent when reflecting on the film.
I think many people who have seen 'Mouchette' will note that although the closing sequence is sudden and perhaps bleak, you cannot help feeling a sense of catharsis due to the ending of Mouchette's suffering.