Techine Back On Track

Champs-Élysées, Place de la Concorde, Montmartre, Arc de Triomphe and Eiffel Tower are all narratively rich symbolic lieus of postcard Paris – but the one place where everyday life thrives, where lives intersect are in the underground portions of Paris. Just as iconic as the museums and famed streets is Paris’ extensive subway system.

Acclaimed French filmmaker André Téchiné once again takes a seat behind the camera for his 22nd production, tentatively titled La fille
du RER (The Girl on the Train). Based on a true story, the film recounts a 2004 incident in which a troubled young woman falsely claimed to have been the victim of an anti-semitic attack on an urban Parisian train (or RER).

Playing the role of the young woman (named Alice for the film) is the lovely Émilie Dequenne (Une Femme
de Ménage). French siren Catherine Deneuve will play the role of Alice’s overbearing mother, marking the sixth collaboration between the actress and Téchiné. Rounding out the cast are the star of Téchiné’s 2007 film Les Témoins Michel Blanc as a lawyer unwittingly pulled into Alice’s world, Mathieu Demi (Quelques Jours en Septembre), and Israeli actor Ronit Elkabetz (The Band’s Visit). Nicolas Duvauchelle, who previously co-starred with Dequenne the 2006 film Le Grand Meaulnes also makes an appearance.

Principal photography is set to begin in May for an early 2009 release. With production going underway, a premiere at the 2009 edition of the Berlinale is a distinct possibility as Téchiné’s previous two films The Witnesses, Changing Times have screened at the festival.