Spirit of Ecstasy is a coming-of-age story that follows a brilliant and ambitious non-binary person as they doggedly pursue a career and life beyond the confines of the military base where they live.
French pop star Claire Pommet holds court in her breakout role as our protagonist, Jeanne. Having grown up on a military base due to their father’s job as a gendarme, Jeanne is more than ready to strike out on their own and finds an internship as a financial analyst that promises to challenge and reward them.
Living with a largely absentee father and two much-younger siblings means Jeanne feels the weight of responsibility for their family. That pressure in addition to the constraints of Jeanne’s life revolving around the military—from the gated community and watchful eyes, to the militarized education and expectations that come with it—are simply too much to bear, and the opposite of what Jeanne wants for their future.
Jeanne doesn’t want to follow in their father’s footsteps in the military, nor do they want a “normal job,” as their father calls it. They have a viciously strong mind for numbers and the ambition to match, and they’re eager to prove theirself.
They get that chance one day at their finance internship when they find an error in an analyst team’s code and correct it — all in front of the boss, Farès (Sofiane Zermani). He takes notice and brings Jeanne under his wing. He gives Jeanne advice, challenges them with tasks, and provides them with opportunity, so long as Jeanne can keep up and impress him. Jeanne rises to the challenge, anxious to succeed in Farès’ eyes so they can jumpstart their new life as a rich and successful “quant,” or quantitative analyst.
Meanwhile, back at the military base Jeanne reconnects with Augustin (Niels Schneider), a former friend-turned-lover who has just returned from military service. They’re on awkward footing as Jeanne has carried anger and hurt the last couple of years he’s been gone due to an upsetting sexual encounter with him before he left.
Although the narrative skirts around the issue a little, it sounds alarming to us, but Jeanne accepts Augustin’s apology and allows him a second chance to patch up their friendship. The two spend more and more time together throughout the film as they slowly rebuild trust and find a way to move forward, with the possibility of leaving the door open for more. It’s obvious they both still carry deep feelings for each other.
Augustin and Jeanne each have very different ideas about their futures—where they’d like to be and what they picture themselves doing with their lives. But rather than stress about their paths leading away from each other, it’s refreshing to see them accept it and encourage each other to pursue their dreams instead of relying on each other for happiness. When Jeanne’s plans go up in flames, Augustin is there to reassure but also push them to hold fast and not give up.
Pommet is striking as Jeanne, demonstrating a cool confidence and natural immersion in the role as she inhabits her character’s blunt, whip-smart personality and self-assured identity while also leaving room for vulnerability and self-doubt.
Spirit of Ecstasy marks director Héléna Klotz’s triumphant return to feature films after several short films and eleven years since her feature debut, Atomic Age. Spirit of Ecstasy was written by Klotz, Noé Debré, and Emily Barnett, and features original music from Klotz’s brother, Ulysse Klotz.
Spirit of Ecstasy has its world premiere at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) as part of the Platform section, a competitive programme that showcases bold directorial perspectives.
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