The Field of Enchantment

In 2005, production and distribution of March of the Penguins, directed by Luc Jacquet, marked the arrival of Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures - France on the then-deserted market of theatrical documentaries. Success comes quickly and proves this nature documentary to be a masterstroke. As the audience rush worldwide to theaters and on DVDs, professionals grant the movie an Academy Award for best documentary feature. Besides, in December 2007, Luc Jacquet tries to renew the accomplishment by presenting – still under the French branch of The Walt Disney Company - a new feature: The Fox and the Child. At the same time, Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures - France is determined to carry on their first successes, and thus presents its own documentary, Le Premier Cri, before coming back to a more accessible genre with the feature – Hollywood, I’m Sleeping Over Tonight. More surprising, the label goes on and takes over –with no great success- the comedy genre with King Guillaume. The Field of Enchantment thus marks the return to the distribution of Docufictions.

Claude Nuridsany and Marie Pérennou direct here their third movie. Born in Paris, they’ve been working together since 1969, date of their first encounter at the age of 20 in the “Cinémathèque française”, a movie archives in Paris. Their common passion towards cinema did trigger their professional collaboration, even if they quickly discovered they also shared a deep interest in nature, painting, photography and literature. Made to work together, they started to publish works about photography and writing. In 1976, they notably obtained the Niépce Prize for their work on photography, which has been exhibited worldwide. From 1992, they devote themselves exclusively to the cinema. Their first feature, Microcosmos, is released in 1996 and delights both the audience and the critics. Professionals grant the movie not less than five César Awards: Best Cinematography, Best Sound, Best Editing, Best Music and Best Producer. Their second movie, Genesis (2004) won’t be as successful and will even go rather unnoticed...

The Field of Enchantment is deeply contemplative. The spectator is invited to discover nature through the eyes of a solitary kid, sent to spend his holidays with his adult cousins in a French countryside. The young boy finds himself lonely, bored to death, and only finds comfort in observing the nature surrounding him. This starting point is double-edged for the spectator. Either he recognized himself in the boy, and thus shares his emotions, or he stays hermetic to the whole thing. In the first case, he will be able to marvel at the movie’s journey and its wonderful images that invite to daydreaming. The creatures that he sees will undoubtedly tease his imagination. Seeing The Field of Enchantment brings a blissful feeling like the one that can be felt after a yoga session. But in the second case, he will suffer a true agony. Those moments when minutes seem like hours and where the Smartphone you just put on “mute” seems to tell you to turn it on to ease the boredom. Because of the will to make a poetic movie instead of a true documentary, no animal is ever introduced or named. It’s thus impossible to find a backup: the only alternative is to witness a stream of images, which can be as beautiful as boring...

In that way, The Field of Enchantment is a « take it or leave it ». And its many trumps don’t change anything. Among those good sides are all the sumptuous images of little-known species, captured in optimal conditions; the actor’s performance, right and heartfelt (Simon Delagnes and Lindsey Henocque bring much grace and freshness to the movie); the narrator’s performance (Denis Podalydès), whose slow delivery and voice tone stick wonderfully to the story’s content; and last but not least, Bruno Coulais’ Music, so spellbinding...

The Field of Enchantment is a demanding movie that invites to meditation and imagination. The journey won’t be easy for everybody, as boredom can be found around the corner...