Mouchette

Ingmar Bergman said of this film, “Mouchette, I loved it! Mouchette is a saint, and she takes everything upon herself, inside her, everything that happens. It makes such an enormous difference that such people live among us.” Adapted from a novel by Georges Bernanos (who also wrote Bresson’s classic Diary of a Country Priest), Mouchette is an unsentimental and achingly beautiful story of a rebellious schoolgirl who suffers the harshness of those around her. Bresson and Cloquet create an austere and unforgiving portrait of village life, and a piece of pure cinematic poetry.