The Misfortunes of François Jane (2016)

A series of tableaux deconstruct the inward journey of Francois Jane, marred by his obsession with Charlotte. By turns illuminating and self-destructive, they navigate separate delusional worlds tearing at each other's masks. A fictional human interest piece exploring the complexity of human archetypes through a surrealistic portrait of humanity. The film's none- linear temporal arch is driven by the aesthetic and metaphorical states of consciousness of the characters, mainly the protagonist Francois Jane. Jane's journey evolves through the magnificence and sumptuous backdrop of present-day Paris, design and costume - leading to epiphany against the haunting, 'lost in time' backdrop of Cesky Krumlov, Czech Republic. This poetic reverie confronts the audience with their own limits of madness and contemporary taboos. The 50mm aesthetic is utilized to create a sequence of canvases, where through photographic representations, the tableaux's serve as stylized expressions of the characters. The interplay between the poetic dialogues and scenic canvases function as a filmic choreography of beauty, pain, differing states of consciousness, and a coming of age revealed through Francois Jane's self-realizations. Jane's obsessive nature and incapacity to communicate with society allows us to explore the facades we use in order to function in societal structure. Charlotte, the object of Jane's obsession, personifies his idealization of salvation and love. Where the peripheral characters are a representation of the mundane, as central protagonists, Francois Jane and Charlotte indulge beyond the limits of normative behavior.