24 portraits

The film

“These portraits are encounters I would like to preserve from oblivion, if only for the few minutes they are before you. They are women who work, who have children, and who, at the same time, maintain a spirit of independence. I shot twenty-four thirteen-minute portraits. I chose this short length for several reasons: not to be boring, to avoid any commercial breaks, to make the film quickly, in a rush, and without too many deletions.

I am not a documentarian. I am more of a lover of faces, hands, and objects. Depicting reality doesn’t appeal to me. Reality is just a word, like its twin sister, fiction, which I also practice, with a different kind of pleasure.”

Alain Cavalier

Episode List :

The Mattress Maker
The Spinner
The Soaker
The Oranger
The Embroiderer
The Washbasin Lady
The Bookbinder
The Bistro
The Cane Maker
The Ironer
The Grinder
The Glassmaker
The Force-Feeder
The Novelist
The Wheelbarrow
The Florist
The Shoemaker
The Newspaper Vendor
The Optician
The Glassblower
The Illusionist
The Piano Tuner
The Corset Maker
The Bow Maker