Europe 1

A passionate affair set against the intense encounter between a film-maker and a novelist. The story begins with young scriptwriter François tracking down the author of a once-scandalous novel. His aim is to adapt the work for the screen but several elements of the novel he finds difficult to comprehend. The author, Jeanne, is initially cautious of relaying information, insisting the presumably autobiographical book in no way relates to her personal life. However, eventually she takes the man into confidence to tell the background of Benvenuta.

In a building on the Boulevard Haussmann in Paris lives ten-year-old Roger, who is surrounded by women - his great-grandmother, his grandmother, and his mother Nicole. Living in an exclusively feminine environment, the boy wishes more than anything else to have a masculine presence around. His dream comes true when he meets Jacques, who's madly in love with Nicole and who is about to completely turn the boy's life upside down.

Jacques Rozier followed Bernard Ménez's tour in 1984 after the surprise success of his song "Jolie poupée". From a timecoded video in the possession of Jacques Rozier, post-production work was carried out in 2001 under the supervision of the director for his retrospective at the Center Pompidou. The element resulting from this work was digitized by the Cinémathèque française at the Hiventy laboratory in 2021.