Le cri de la soie

Most cult films deal with stories which are not an integral part of our traditional narrative landscapes.This is one major reason why they have to be written as well as directed with utmost care as meticulous research coupled with elements of entertainment must be integrated in them in order to convey the right message carried by them.French director Yvon Marciano's "The Cry of the Silk"/Le Cri De La Soie is one such film which has achieved a quasi cult film status worldwide due to its choice of a difficult subject:the relationship between a piece of clothing and a woman's sexuality.Debunking of the myth of the superiority of male sexuality is one of this film's major highlights. Yvon Marciano (1953-2011) also got full support from his co-writer Jean François Goyet to develop a subplot about unrequited love.It makes its presence felt through the roles enacted by veteran French actress Anémone and noted Italian actor/director Sergio Castellito who has graced numerous French films made by big names such as Jacques Rivette and Laetitia Masson.Lastly,the whole film bears the mark of the inimitable presence of Marie Trintignant (1962-2003) as the illiterate seamstress who would go to any length in order to indulge in her passions.This film has been inspired by the life and works by Gaëtan Gatian De Clérambault (1872-1934),a noted French ethnographer, photographer and psychiatrist.

Paris, 1914. A well-known psychiatrist becomes more and more involved with his patient Marie, an illiterate but kinky seamstress. They both share a fetish for silk...a strong sexual one.

So far, not so strange for a French art film. But it gets more interesting as the psychiatrist develops a thesis - one about this fetish. This thesis and the real fetish both characters share blend into one weird love story indeed. Many have found the plot especially well written. It won the award for Best European First/ Debut Script at Angers in 1994.