Electronica, gender and French cinematic girlhood in Céline Sciamma’s films

ABSTRACT

This article examines the music in Céline Sciamma’s films with an emphasis on Naissance des pieuvres (2007), arguing that, in a film where the girl characters so rarely express themselves through dialogue, the music offers a means of communication that does not rely on the verbal. It is through music that this film invites the spectator into the girls’ cinematic world, and this music provides an insight into the sensations and emotions that the girls experience. The article argues that the use of the electronic genre increases this potential for expression. Because electronic music is bound up in French musical culture, and because it offers specific opportunities for female expression, the genre is particularly significant in a French girlhood film. This article examines how the electronic genre aids in the creation of a specifically ‘girl’ space in Céline Sciamma’s films offering the girls a space in which they can express themselves freely without pre-existing signification or stereotypes. Via both the musical sounds themselves and the signification attached to the electronic genre, the film’s music provides an audible expression of the characters’ experiences, inviting us into the girls’ cinematic space and allowing us a point of entry into their world.

KEYWORDS:

• Electronica
• Céline Sciamma
• girlhood
• film music
• genre

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes

1. ‘The techno scene gave a space to women who wanted to transcend traditional female roles.’

2. ‘Is it going to be OK?’

3. ‘A sunny childlike piece with the melancholy of counterpointed melodies.’

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Gemma Edney

Gemma Edney received her PhD in Film Studies from the University of Exeter in 2019. Her PhD thesis examines the relationship between music and girlhood in contemporary French cinema, exploring how music offers a means of transcending the confines of the body to provide avenues of identification between spectator and on-screen character. Her research interests lie predominantly in the field of film musicology, bringing together film studies and musicological methods to produce interdisciplinary discussions and results. Other interests include feminist and postfeminist film culture, contemporary digital media and cultures of digital collaboration.