Une part du ciel (2002)

User Rating:

5.6/10   

Director:

Bénédicte Liénard

Writer:

Bénédicte Liénard (writer)

Release Date:

4 September 2002 (Belgium)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

The story of two women, one a prisoner and the other a corporate representative, who discover that their lives are defined by compromise. |

Awards:

2 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

Séverine Caneele	...	Joanna
Sophie Leboutte	...	Claudine (as Sofia Leboutte)
Josiane Stoléru	...	Mme. Picri
Naïma Hirèche	...	Naima
Annick Keusterman	...	Annick
Yolande Moreau	...	Mme. Pasquier
Gaëlle Müller	...	Laurette
Béatrice Spiga	...	Bella
Olivier Gourmet	...	Joanna's Lawyer
André Wilms	...	Warden
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Christian Crahay
Renée Fréart
Mireille Gasparini
Carmen Gobbin
Marie-Jeanne Hernandez
Philippe Jeusette
Véronique Peeters
Dirk Roofthooft
Jessica Schoepen
Marianne Thomas
Dominique Treuttens

Also Known As:

A Piece of Sky (International: English title)

Runtime:

85 min | Argentina:85 min (Buenos Aires International Festival of Independent Cinema) | France:86 min (Cannes Film Festival)

Country:

France | Belgium | Luxembourg

Language:

French

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

France:U | Singapore:PG

Company:

Canal+

A story that promises more than it delivers

Une part du ciel is a socially committed work. The protagonist, Joanna, is in prison for an unspecified act of violence related to union problems at the factory at which she was employed. The depiction of her dehumanized existence in prison is paralleled by the portrayal of the regimentation on the factory assembly line where her female friends are prisoners of yet another system that degrades and exploits women. Severine Caneele's performance as the prisoner is strong and sensitive. She lends an essential humanity to the social commentary in which the film is rooted. Une part du ciel, however, is a disturbingly uneven work. The characters and scenes that are directly related to the film's political agenda are developed to the point of being heavy- handed and didactic, while secondary characters and events are presented in a cursory, at times puzzling, manner. The visual syntax is also inconsistent. Shots are extended or truncated for no discernable reason. Camera angles seem arbitrary. The editing often obscures, rather than enhances the character development. Ultimately, the viewer is left moved, but vaguely dissatisfied, as if having been told pieces of a story that promises more than it delivers.