ELOÏSE

Written by Antonio Petrone, Directed by Antonio Petrone, Main actors Erik Chantry Frédérique Dupré Romane Caillé, Switzerland, 2013

Plot summary

Claire and Vincent Duval, a fifty-year-old couple tries to overcome the abduction of their seven-year-old daughter, without knowing what really happened that day.

Over time, Claire has put herself in a terrible situation she is not able to control anymore. Her husband tries his best to prevent her from falling into pieces.

The author's note

In recent years, a lot of news are related to people harming kids. Whether it is cases involving pedophiles, psychopaths or just a couple who cannot have a baby naturally or by adoption and decide to steal one from another couple, destroying a family in order to make another happy. This kind of news affects everyone without exception and nobody can protect themselves from such tragedies.

With this fiction, based on facts, the spectator is directly immersed in the daily life of this couple, trapped by the time that weighs down on their heart and their love. They are overwhelmed with guilt, fear, loneliness and the desire to wake up from this never-ending nightmare that is haunting them since that day. I am a young thirty-one-year-old author and I already wrote several storylines, and this is my first time directing a medium-length project. I am currently writing 19, a short film that everyone can relate to, also based on true facts.

Synopsis

This movie was inspired by recent tragedies, such as the story of Natascha Kampusch or the twin girls who were abducted then killed by their father in Bussigny (Switzerland) in 2011, only a few miles from where I live.

Éloïse is seven years old when she is abducted while out for a walk with her mother. Since that day, Claire lives with the feeling of guilt in her stomach, for not having been careful enough and for looking away for a second that day. She lives with regrets and fear and she believes she is the only one that has to take responsibility for what happened. Vincent, her husband is a businessman who goes to work every day and leaves his wife drowning in alcohol, seeing himself become each day more powerless and trying to overcome this tragedy.

Less affected than his wife but still hurting, he tries to mend their broken relationship and to cope with the situation.

Credits

Frédérique Dupré : Claire Duval – Erik Chantry : Vincent Duval – Eloïse Duval : Romane Caillé – Guy Bochud : stranger in the playground - Eloïse Duval (as an adult) : Alix Bourgeron – Antonio Petrone : police inspector Calabria – Lucas Kuhn : police inspector – Stéphanie Caillé : woman on the bench in the park – Lorenzo Lo Conte : man on the bench in the park – Vanessa Besançon : Lady with the stroller – David Jaquier : husband of the lady with the stroller – Léo Besançon : baby in the stroller.

Specification sheet

Original script by : Antonio Petrone – Producer : Tonyfilms – Directing: Antonio Petrone – Assistant director : Lysa Von Allmen – Director of photography : Ludovic Matthey – 1st assistant camera operator : Grégory Terlikowski – Lighting : Mathieu Werlen – Sound : Benjamin Tixhon – Editing : Sylvain Imesch – Make-up & effects : Max Bühler – Costumes : Gilliane Ballaman – Music : Andrea Marchionno – Studios recording: Alphasound/Paris et Hesat/Bordeaux

Special thanks to

The owners of the villa and the neighborhood of “ Crêt des Pierres” in Vufflens-le-Château (CH) , Nadia & Simon Barbey, The village of Bussigny (CH) The Lausanne Palace, La fleur de pain de Bussigny, Romain Jacquignon, Félix Calabria, Jean Cracchiolo, Aimé Guignard, Giuseppe Calabria, Adrien Calabria, Stéphanie Caillé, Sébastien Pfander, Yvan Amez-Droz, Samuel Merles (cinéma Lincoln Paris) Philippe Morax and Rouge FM (swiss radio), Visuals Geneva and the whole film crew for its incredible work.

Shotting pictures