Jean-Stéphane Bron
Switzerland | 1995 | 21 min
Language : French
Winter 1993. A widower who remains inconsolable after the death of his wife; a Vietnamese man who left his country with the boat people... Some have grown up here, others have arrived from elsewhere. Despite their differences, they share a home at “12, chemin des Bruyères”. Budding filmmaker Jean-Stéphane Bron reveals their shared human condition through his empathetic lens.
A trumpet improvises a kind of blues. Out of shot, a loudspeaker announces departures and arrivals at the near-by station. The sounds tell of elsewhere, but the image lingers here, on a rather austere three-storey building, pastel walls barely contrasting with the surrounding grey. Number 12, chemin des Bruyères houses a colourful microcosm. Camille, a widower who is inconsolable after the death of his wife; retirees; a teacher who is unlucky in love; a Vietnamese man who left his country with the boat people; a couple composed of an African-American singer and a very Vaudois musician. Their words are mostly confided in voice overs to their neighbour, who is none other than Jean-Stéphane Bron. They speak of times gone by, disappointments and hopes. What brought them here, when they could have taken a different train. The budding filmmaker - 12, chemin des Bruyères is Bron’s ECAL graduation film - lends an ear to his neighbours, as (dis)similar to him as they may be, searching for their inner light under the low winter sky of 1993.
Emmanuel Chicon
