Sweet Valentine

Emma Luchini was born in Paris in 1979. After studying plastic arts, she worked for some years as a graphic designer. She then became assistant director on features and made her first short Sur ses deux oreilles, selected in Angers in 2008 in the French short films section, where it won the Grand Prix du Jury. Sweet Valentine is her first feature."Originally, this story was inspired by the character of Sonia in Crime and Punishment. But in Sonia's attitude I find the ambiguity of love: what is "loving"? Making the other person "happy" at all costs. Sonia comes along and decides that Ivan's happiness is not where he thinks it is. She means well, but "for his own good", she contributes to his downfall. By loving him endlessly. (...) And then it was while I writing it that another began to shine through: the woman is diabolical and the man his victim. It is essential that this ambiguity exists in the story, because for me Sonia's ambiguity is the ambiguity of the couple. (...) I am not looking for realism in the image. On the contrary, I like the idea of the story and the form being out of step. My story can be read as a sort of social drama, something very rooted in reality. However, I want to do the opposite. For me it is a sort of fable. Something timeless. More poetical than realistic. Above all through colour, that I wanted to pay particular attention to creating something sophisticated even. (...) The realism of the protagonists' feelings contrasts the almost plastic world around them. (...) At the end of the day my project was to find (...) as many details as possible to translate this story: false people, real characters, real feelings in a world like a stage set".