Mouchette

Dir. Robert Bresson, 1967, 81 mins. 35mm. As compact as Jeanne Dielman is durational, Robert Bresson’s bracing adaptation of the novella by George Bernanos (Diary of a Country Priest) about a teen girl in a French village is spare and emotionally devastating. Non-actor Nadine Nortier is compelling as the petulant Mouchette, dealing with a dying mother, alcoholic father, a baby sister who needs care, and her own sexuality. Echoing Akerman’s approach to Jeanne Dielman, Bresson said of his approach to the Bernanos text, “I found neither psychology nor analysis in it. The substance of the book seemed usable. It could be sieved.” Describing the impact Mouchette had on her, Akerman said “The ending of the film…is tremendous. WIth so little, Bresson makes us feel so much about the world. Mouchette rolls alongside all those who have ever been sacrificed; all those who haven’t been just raped but destroyed. All those who have been rolled in the mud.” 

Tickets: $15 / $11 senior and students / $9 youth (ages 3–17) / discounted for MoMI members ($7–$11). Order tickets. Please pick up tickets at the Museum’s admissions desk upon arrival. All seating is general admission. Review safety protocols before your visit.