On April 10th at 6:30 pm, the cinema club will be screening “La Vie domestique” starring Emmanuelle Devos in the lead role. The director Isabelle Czajka will be present at the screening to talk about her film.
“La Vie domestique” will be shown at the MJC Narbonne cinema club on April 10th, depicting 24 hours in the life of Juliette as she waits for a teaching position. The film analyzes the division of roles within a couple and how it leads to male domination. Starring Emmanuelle Devos, Natacha Régnier, Helena Noguerra, and Laurent Poitrenaux, directed by Isabelle Czajka.
Isabelle Czajka, during a visit to Carcassonne. Isabelle Czajka, during a visit to Carcassonne. You mentioned that “La Vie domestique” addresses the invisible work of women, only noticed when not done. The film was released 13 years ago, what has changed since then?
Nothing much has changed. In 2013, when the film was released, the concept of mental load wasn’t prevalent. We were at the end of a period where women had the right to vote and work. Feminism was almost a taboo word, but there was a brief period of enlightenment and now things seem to be regressing. It’s complicated to make progress when everything is accepted and ingrained.
Does your film still have a political message?
It’s not political, it simply narrates a day in the life of an educated woman with a job. She takes her kids to school, goes grocery shopping, gives a class, has an interview, and dinner. Despite its release, there were strong reactions.
In what way?
Both positive and negative feedback. Some women said “thank you”, some men said “I understand my wife”, but I also received hate mail and faced anger from some men. The film was recently aired on France Télévisions and there are still reactions.
The screening is free for cinema club members, €3 for students, and €5 for the general public. Reservations can be made at 04 68 32 01 00.
