Jeannette: The Childhood of Joan of Arc

Filmmaker Bruno Dumont presents the life of young Joan of Arc here—before she took up arms as a warrior—in the form of an amateur musical in a neo-realist setting. In the countryside of 15th-century France, 8-year-old shepherdess Jeannette (Lise Leplat Prudhomme) laments the French people’s misery—caused by the invading British—in lyric and dance and is visited by saints who convince her to take up the mantle of leadership herself. At age 13 (now played by Jeanne Voisin), she decides to fulfill her destiny with the help of her uncle, who agonizes over the lies that he tells Jeannette's father. Jeannette is a medieval rock opera by way of Pier Paulo Pasolini’s The Gospel According to St. Matthew, featuring a minimal cast and a child hero who recites lines as if appearing in a grade school passion play. The performances here are stiff and amateurish, the music (by French composer Igorrr)—which draws from medieval folk but is full of power chords and rock drumming—is adequate but unmemorable, and the elementary choreography (complete with head-banging breaks) is danced with more enthusiasm than grace. All of this is apparently just what Dumont intended: an art movie with unpolished performers set against gorgeous meadows and hills, meant to suggest authenticity and spiritual purity in the mix of recitation, oratorio, and passionate prayer. Jeannette will confound many viewers and likely disappoint fans of traditional musicals, but there is a beauty to its simplicity and an undercurrent of humor in the telling. A strong optional purchase. (S. Axmaker)