Marie et Fred

This short film is the second in a connect pair made as part of an awareness campaign into domestic abuse. The first film (Fred et Marie) was very subtle in its depiction of Fred undercutting an controlling Marie despite her occasional moments of not feeling this way. In this film we start with evidence that there is also violence in the relationship as Marie has clearly been hit and has come to a friend's place to get away from it and, hopefully, break it off finally with Fred. From here the plot looks at the way Fred attempts to win her back – something he must have done quite some times and we see Marie pulled by the temptation to make the easy choice of going back.

Compared to the first film this one is not quite as strong because it is focused on a very particular part of their relationship cycle as opposed to being a microcosm of it as the first film was. This mostly still works though and it is interesting to see Marie hit with the texts and also the pressure from family who don't really know what they are talking about. In this way it is good for what it shows but I did find the ending a bit too PSA (which of course is what it is at the end of the day). This takes away the rather downbeat and engagingly gritty feel of the film but I guess it is necessary for what the films were trying to achieve.

Sainte is the film here again; perhaps not as strong as she was in the first film because the material is not as strong, but still good. Rausin is mostly only seen from a distance so the film is mostly about seeing the struggle in her, which she does well. A good companion piece for the first film which works well as an awareness campaign and as a piece of drama, but this second film is not quite as strong as the first was.