VANDAL
1 !
SYNOPSIS
TECHNICAL DATASHEET Vandal Hélier Cisterne / Fiction / France / 2013 / 1h24 France Distribution: Pyramide National release: October 9, 2013
Chérif, 15 years old, has just committed a new crime. His mother, who lives with another
Property: Alsace Cinémas, Maison de l’image, 31 rue Kageneck 67000
man, can’t take it anymore. She decides to send him to Strasbourg, with his uncle and
Strasbourg Author of worksheets: Jean-François Pey
aunt, where he must continue his vocational
Picture editor: Jean-François Pey
training qualification in masonry and meet
Graphic design: Mickael Dard
with his father, a building worker, with
Printed in Gyss: Septembre 2013
whom he will do an internship. But it is difficult to escape one’s demons. Boredom,
Zinedine BENCHENINE Chloé LECERF Emile BERLING Jean-Marc BARR Brigitte SY Kévin AZAÏS Corinne MASIERO Isabelle SADOYAN Sophie CATTANI
lack of understanding, and a fight in his new high school quickly compromise his chances of redemption. Fortunately, his cousin Thomas helps him discover
the
fascinating
and
unknown
universe of graffiti artists, who, night after night, color the city’s walls. A universe where Chérif will learn to know himself…
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
With participation of Ramzy Marina FOÏS
Chérif Elodie Thomas Paul Christine Johan TheJudge The Grand-Mother Laure
Farid Hélène
SYNOPSIS
page2
THE DIRECTOR
page3
ABOUT THE STORY
page 4
Worksheets created by Jean François Pey.
GRAFFITI
page 6
SCENERY
page 8
Adaptation and translation made by the Alliance Francaise of Porto Rico thanks to the participation of the French Embassy in the United States, February 2015.
EDUCATIONAL WORKSHOP
page 9
CORRECTIONS
page 12
Hélier Cisterne is a French director and scriptwriter. He appears as an actor, he is in various short films and in John Shank’s full-len gth featu re film, “Last Winter”. “Vandal” is his first full-length feature film. Born in 1981, he originates from Lot. He received his literary high school diploma with a concentration in audiovisual cinema in Brive-la-Gaillarde high school. He admits having had a cinematographic shock in his adolescence upon discovering David Cronenberg’s ‘’Crash’’, which served as an catalyst for his ambition in films. At Paris VII University, he did his studies in Philosophy. There, he met Katell Quillévéré
(co-scriptwriter for
‘’Vandal’’, filmmaker of “A violent fish and Suzanne’’) who he has been dating since then. In 2003, Hélier Cisterne directed his first short film “Outside” which is quickly acclaimed. Hélier Cisterne received the J e a n V i g o A w a r d f o r h i s short
film “Lost
Paradises”
and
the
Louis-
D e l l u c A w a r d f o r t h e f i r s t m o v i e o f ”Vandal”.
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THE DIRECTOR
ABOUT THE STORY “Vandal” is a brilliant and abundant film.
Following step by step the journey of a fifteen-year-old hero in touch with the ambiguities of the world, “Vandal” can be initially considered a learning or coming-of-age story though it unfolds during a relatively short period of time that deliberately reduces Opening scene: Chérif commits, again, an illegal, reckless act. He violated the law. He violated the written law which states that stealing is a crime. He violated the law that implicitly terminates the contract with the family who urges him to act in accordance with his mother’s wishes that he be a role model for his younger brother. They give him a last chance. What chance? Solitude? An even more unbearable
family
environment
than
the
last?
Graffiti emerged. Chérif is trapped. A new illegal activity? Yes. But what if this is his last chance? Or the first?
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the significance. Actually, this type of story, strictly speaking, deals with the evolutions of a novice character who, confronted by numerous challenges, finds his place (intimate, social, spiritual…) in the world. But Chérif’s journey, caught in plain crisis, ends the moment he performs a creative act that, however, does not exactly identify him. “Vandal” is not the story of a rebellious young man who becomes a graffiti artist.
NOTES SUR LE RÉCIT
Through ART
Even if “Vandal” is not a movie about graffiti, nevertheless, this practice plays, a central role in the story: central as an adolescent practice, central as an illegal activity, central as art. Let’s imagine art here as a narrative power, dramatic and thematic. Art is a place of conflicts. First of all, in regard to its acknowledgement as art, one of the commonly accepted definitions of art is “that which is recognized as such by a group” (Marcel Mauss). The critics of graffiti hold on to this denial of labeling this practice as a social stigma. When asked in the documentary film “Style Wars”, the mayor of New York puts in the same category “three-card Monte graffiti, pickpockets, and shoplifting… all these destroy OUR quality of life.” It is indeed a conflict of values. It is also a conflict of space: graffiti denies or contests the propriety of the space on which it is written; it bypasses the invisible boundaries of urban space. Lastly, it is an interior conflict where the artist’s intimacy intersects another’s intimacy; where a connection with the world – always crucial, but even more so for an adolescent in pursuit of language – takes place. For Chérif, spoken language is violent, incomplete or clumsy. It struggles to translate feelings, contradictions, or inner chaos. Action is his language. But impulsive action (stealing, fighting), doesn’t make sense; it is but another dead end. It is then that the thematic dimension of art intervenes since art is action: gestures, looks, thought in movement. Art is a mental projection where traces of human adventure, materialism, forms, the past, and the present sensations mix together.
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Snark, Vandal, the superhero Chérif found his pseudonym, his “blaze”, in the world of Lewis Caroll, author of “Alice in Wonderful” (released in 1865) and “The hunting of the Snark” (released in 1876 and translated into French by Louis Aragon). An extravagant, poetic story, masterpiece of the nonsensical, Caroll’s work presents the Snark, a fantastical creature, half shark and half snail (his name is the contraction of “snail” and “shark”), that no one has ever seen and that everyone hunts but never catches. The parallel with Vandal is obvious: it highlights the character in its supernatural dimension. Vandal is everywhere, yet untraceable. Vandal is a legend. His impossible “spots”, his speedy work, the artistic dimensions of his creations, his disregard for law and danger all contribute to make him a mythical character.
GRAFFITI “The destruction, degradation, or deterioration of another’s property is punishable by two years in prison and a 30,000 euro fine, unless the case results in minor damages. The act of drawing words, signs, or caricatures on storefronts, vehicles, public roads, or urban property without prior authorization is punishable by a 3,750 euro fine and community service as long as the resulting damage is minor.” – Article L 322-1 of the Penal code. In “The dinosaur and the baby” (Filmmakers of our time – A.S. Labarthe, 1967), Fritz Lang and Jean-Luc Godard agree to consider cinema the art of youth. Graffiti, an ancient practice, is undoubtedly the expression that, today, incarnates most strongly this desire for identity and protest unique to adolescence.
Graffiti, a history The Italian word “graffiti” derives from the Latin “graphium” (scratch), which gets its etymology from the Greek “graphein” also meaning “to write, draw, or paint”. “Graffiti” in French comes from the Italian “graffito”, which refers to a style of writing: it is the name given to the calligraphy, painting, or diversely traced drawings or inscriptions (to differentiate from “tag”, the English term that corresponds to the 6
signature of a name). Before our current era, graffiti was found in the pyramids of Egypt, and in Ephesus, Pompei, and Rome of ancient Greece. Graffiti of the Vikings can be found in Ireland; and Mayan graffiti, in Tikal, Guatemala. There are words or signatures from workers, soldiers, prostitutes, lovers, prisoners, traders, poets. Graffiti is the writing of the people, which differs from official, ceremonial, or ritual writings. These are valuable testimonies of popular language and everyday life. Many Roman churches have been marked with graffiti and immediately painted over with primer.
Periods of political tension always give way to a distinct development of urban graffiti: during revolutions, occupations, and wars; under the Paris Commune, in May 1968, on the Berlin wall, or in regions where there are problems with autonomy (North Ireland, Palestine). From London, in 1941, the Belgian minister Victor de Laveleye launched the “V campaign”. “V” stands for “Victory”, but also for “Vrijheid” (Freedom). Success goes beyond the Belgian frontiers and V’s are printed, painted, or drawn all over Europe. This idea is picked up again postwar in Franco’s Spain, where “P” is used for “Protest”.
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During the Liberation, the progression of allied troops in Europe was accompanied by the famous graffiti “Kilroy” written in the most inaccessible and dangerous places. It is mainly composed of a simplified drawing representing a character with a big nose shyly hiding behind a wall with the text “Kilroy was here”. Postwar, savage and militant slogans were put up on Parisian walls (“Never work”, Guy Debord, 1952). The period comes to an end in May 1968 (“Beneath the roads, the beach”, “CRS SS”, “It is forbidden to forbid”, “Be realistic; ask for the impossible!”).
SCENERY
THE CITY OF VANDAL The city is Strasbourg. It is cited as Chérif’s destination from the second scene. All the action is set to take place here with the exception of the family weekend. However, apart from the scene with the crane where Chérif shows a panorama with a view of the European Parliament and the cathedral, nothing else helps distinguish the Alsatian capital. The director carefully avoided including all the typical architecture of the city. This could be any city, since the urban scenery belongs to the graffiti artist. The city of graffiti artists is the city of borders with bridges and tunnels, walls, traffic circles, and railroad tracks. These intermediate spaces offer uneven surfaces to be conquered. These impersonal spaces are also traversed by everyone, which makes them exceptionally ideal as places for free expression. In the center, graffiti is less obvious, but is there nonetheless, on street corners, on stores, traffic signs, and sometimes at the top of a building. This city of graffiti artists is not only a space; it is also a time. Often, a city of the past, of abandoned industrial buildings, sometimes it is a developing city.
.
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EDUCATIONAL WORKSHOP These educational activities have been created for a group of students 16 - 18 years of age, in order to prepare them for a future viewing of the film in its entirety. The work may be done in their native language or in French, according to the students’ linguistic profiles. Activity 1: What is a vandal? a) Give your own definition for “vandalism”. b) Name at least 3 acts of vandalism.
VANDAL, Vandale? Vandales are Germanic Eastern people. They entered the Western Roman Empire en th masse and participated in the great Invasions of the 5 century. In many languages, the word “vandal” has a connotation of terror, blind destruction, pillage, and havoc. In French, the word “vandal” is used for the first time in a pejorative sense by Voltaire. After the French Revolution, in 1794, Abbé Grégoire uses the term “vandalism” to describe the revolutionaries’ destruction of monuments and works of the old regime. Vandales thus became the stereotype of barbarians. Vandal graffiti is the one done illegally. VANDAL, all in sharp, slanted lines and dropping the final E, becomes graphically powerful.
Activity 2: Art or Vandalism? a) b) c) d)
Give your definition of Art. What is the difference between art paintings and graffiti? Is graffiti art, vandalism, or both? Discuss with the class. For what reasons do graffiti artists sign their walls? What do they want to express?
Form two groups A and B. Each group will present its opinion on the sign it chooses and must think of a list of arguments defending it. Then, debate in class.
IMAGE A 9
IMAGE B
Activity 3: Adolescence and graffiti Adolescence is a period of freedom, but also of restrictions. a) Look at the poster and tell what restrictions have been disobeyed.
b) Comment on the posture and expression of the character. c) What are the problems and conflicts generally experienced by adolescents?
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Activity 4: Let’s talk GRAFF’! •
Match the graffiti vocabulary to its definition.
BUBBLE
graff done very quickly
CANVAS
a graff’s background color
CLOUDS
a graffiti artist’s signature
CREW
all train cars are completely painted
END TO END
graff that reads from top to bottom on a train car, a wall...
FLOP act of painting over a graff TAG THROW-UP
graff on the entire surface of a train car simple graff without filling-in
TOP-TO-BOTTOM TOYER WHOLE-CAR WHOLE-TRAINS
graff going from one end of a train car to the other group of graffiti artists, taggers graff done on a non-urban surface graff with a very simple design and round shapes
Activity 5: WEB MISSION 2.0 Do a search on a social site for sharing pictures (such as Instagram, Pinterest, etc.) and find at least 3 graffitis from the list below. Refine your search to your own geographical zone. Share your findings with the class and comment on them.
:
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CORRECTIONS Activity 1: What is a vandal? a) Give your own definition of “vandalism”. Definition suggested: Behavior of a person who destroys or severely and freely damages works of art, objects of value, public buildings, etc. (Cf. Larousse) b) Name at least 3 acts of vandalism. All acts of destruction or degradation of public or private property. Examples: Break a window, carve a tree or table, paint a statue, etc.
Activity 2: Art or Vandalism? a) Give your definition of Art. Suggested definition: Creation of objects or staging destined to produce in man a particular state of sensibility, more or less linked to esthetic pleasure. (cf. Larousse)
b) What is the difference between painting and graffiti? Graffiti, contrary to painting, is illegal and punishable by law.
c) Is art graffiti, vandalism, or both? Discuss with the class. Free expression.
d) For what reasons do graffiti artists sign walls? What do they want to express? Hints for correction : to express anger, to criticize, the appeal of the forbidden, to make themselves be known, the thrill of risk-taking, because they don’t have any other place for free expression, because the cost of graffiti is moderate compared to the material required for other forms of art, etc…
Form two groups A and B. Each group will present its opinion on the sign it chooses and must think of a list of arguments defending it. Then, debate in class. Free expression.
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Activity 3: Adolescence and graffiti Adolescence is a period of freedom, but also of restrictions. a) Look at the poster and say what restrictions have been disobeyed. Hints for corrections: The adolescent climbed on top of a tall building, he trespassed a restricted space, graffiti is illegal, he could have escaped up there for other reasons, he could have run away…etc. b) Comment on the posture and expression of the character. He seems worried, tormented. He seems bored. c) What are the problems and conflicts generally experienced by adolescents? Hints for correction: Conflicts with family, authority, teachers. Problems socializing with others. Problems due to physical and hormonal changes. First love. Inability to earn money and shop or drive. Adult responsibilities and restrictions tied to childhood. The pressure of choosing a career path.
Activity 4: Let’s talk GRAFF’! •
Match the graffiti vocabulary to its definition
BUBBLE: graff with a very simple design and round shapes CANVAS: graff done on a non-urban surface CLOUDS: a graff’s background color CREW: group of graffiti artists, taggers END TO END: graff going from one end of a train car to the other FLOP: simple graff without filling-in THROW UP: graff done very quickly TOP-TO-BOTTOM: graff that reads from top to bottom on a train car, a wall... TOYER: act of painting over a graff WHOLE-CAR: graff on the entire surface of a train car WHOLE-TRAINS: all train cars are completely painted.
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