Virginie Verrier’s ‘Marinette’ narrates the soaring tale of Marinette Pichon. Pichon is one of the finest football players from France. However, despite her immense skills and talent, she had to constantly battle gender disparity in her home country. The film takes us through her life since childhood, when she first harbored the dream of being an athlete.
The time was decades before now when gender norms were far more rigid. As a result, Marinette pursued her way into a football field by herself to showcase her athletic skills. Her mother supported her in every way possible despite her unfavorable financial condition in their small town.
At the time, Marinette’s alcoholic and abusive father kept harassing both of them, bringing some sort of difficulty into their lives. But it did not shake Marinette’s determination or break her mother’s confidence in her talent. The women’s determination shines bright against the fickle man’s attempt to weaken them.
Despite those emotional struggles, Marinette kept playing in a mixed-sex team until 16 years old and then had to enter a gender-specific team. Eventually, she made her way to bigger leagues and received recognition from people beyond their small town.
But being a fish out of the pond, Marinette had to learn the fact that she was not the best player on that new stage. She had to be competitive to improve her skills. She worked over herself and stayed persistent in her attempts at improvement while following new dietary restrictions. Unfortunately, unlike the male players, they were paid meager amounts in exchange for playing for these teams. The film addresses these issues with the utmost concern.
While playing there, Marinette went through a series of ups and downs, and she rarely got the opportunity to be truthful about her sexuality. Nevertheless, she kept her head high throughout her journey, which also backfired in some instances. She could not play for the team due to her impulsive decision to protect her pride.
A Still from Marinette (2023)Still, through the ups and downs of her career, her mother showed constant support to her. On the other hand, the domestic abuse reached a point where the authorities eventually arrested Marinette’s father.
Later, Marinette got a huge opportunity to play for the Philadelphia professional soccer team, where she experienced a pleasant culture shock. No one worried about strict diets, and she did not need to hide her sexuality either. It gave her and her mother a newfound freedom despite needing to figure out the highs and lows of the new terrain.
On the professional front, Marinette kept rising higher and higher, while in her personal life, she faced betrayal, trust, and all sorts of realizations to evolve into a mature self. The film talks about these aspects with immense compassion. The script’s non-judgemental approach toward her complicated life journey is highly commendable.
While being an inspirational tale of Marinette’s life, the director Virginie Verrier also makes it a statement-driven film. The screenplay, written by Verrier, takes us through the steps of Marinette’s life while painting a cultural landscape of the time she grew up in.
The male-centered, patriarchal system in France kept denying female players the recognition of professional players. As a result, the female players did not earn enough from the sport and had to tire themselves, working other jobs to earn money for survival. Fortunately, in the US, Marinette could experience freedom from such pressures. However, her home country did not give her or other female players what they rightfully deserved.
These aspects of sexual politics are often brought forth through dialogue. They work well and do not feel inorganic because of Verrier’s assured, consistent direction besides the captivating acting performances. Garance Marillier, who terrified us with her performance in Julia Ducournau’s Raw, commands our attention in every single frame of Marinette. She is miraculously good at infusing the depth of coming-of-age elements from Marinette’s story while understanding the importance of what the esteemed football player stood for.
Émilie Dequenne, who made me weep through her heartbreaking performance in Close, is just as thoroughly impressive in this film. She maintains calm and composure and becomes a brilliant acting partner for Marillier’s complex character.
Marinette was screened at the 2023 Tribeca Film Festival
Marinette (2023) Movies Links: IMDb, Tribeca
Marinette (2023) Movie Cast: Garance Marillier, Emilie Dequenne, Sylvie Testud, Fred Testot, Alban Lenoir
Director/Screenwriter: Virginie Verrier
Language: English, French
Runtime: 95 Minutes
Where to watch Marinette
