BALLROOM [DANCING]

SUNDAY 2 NOVEMBER AT 5PM CIN & LUMIªRE

TO CALL 020 7073 1350

Country France R/T 93 mins Format DV Co-Dirs Patrick Mario Bernard, Xavier Brillat, Pierre Trividic Prods Yves Smadja, Beatrice Caula S'play Pierre Trividic, Patrick Mario Bernard DoP Xavier Brillat, Emmanuel Caula Cast Patrick Mario Bernard, Pierre Trividic, Peter Bonke, Jean-Yves Jouannais P/S Ex Nihilo E psobel@agatfilms.com

Ballroom is a troubled tale of identity and solitude, aptly set against the bleak industrial coastline of northern France. Artist Ren» lives and works with his partner Patrick in a disused dance hall. It becomes apparent that all is not well with Ren», as he begins to see and hear another presence in the house: the ghostly Bernard brothers. This leads him to question sanity and reality in an existential crisis which would be equally at home in Sartrean theatre, were it not for the distinctly supernatural elements of his predicament.

Framed by a careful, chilling use of light and shadow, Ren»'s story explores the limits of personal identity and selfknowledge, and how these boundaries are challenged by our relationships, our fears and the world around us. The Gothic motif of the doppelganger plays a central role, although codirector Xavier Brillat warns against pigeonholing Ballroom as an erotic or Gothic film. This reflects Brillat's view of the world as a 'bundle of different genres' - a view which Ballroom con- firms. The film is a thoughtful, provocative piece of cinema which challenges audience expectations and invites us to wonder if our universe really is as simple as we think. LM

Patrick Mario Bernard graduated from art school in 1986 and works in visual arts, theatre, film and TV. Xavier Brillat studied Literature and Cinema, and worked as an assistant director for film and TV. Pierre Trividic is a film and TV screenwriter and director. This is the first feature film project for all three directors.