French filmmaker Bertrand Bonello is at the center of a complete retrospective at the Film Society of Lincoln Center in New York City, which will run April 29 through May 4. The retrospective, I Put a Spell on You: The Films of Bertrand Bonello will feature a preview, including a Q&A with the director itself, of Bonello’s recent film Saint Laurent, as well as a presentation of work from Bonello’s recent exhibition at the Centre Pompidou in Paris, Bertrand Bonello, Résonances.
Through a body of work that spans six shorts and six feature-length movies, Bonello has crafted a cinematic singularity of vision that explores themes of sexuality, seduction and the way they are represented in society through images of strong female characters (prostitutes, couturiers, femme fatales). Soft strokes, muted palettes and dramatic sound features prominently throughout Bonello’s work, often to support his fascination with the depiction of nudity: tasteful, understated but ever-present.
James Quandt, in an article for Artforum, listed Bonello among the modern auteurs defining the ‘New French Extremity’ by way of movies including On War, and Cindy: The Doll Is Mine.
A musician with a classical training (he has played for Françoise Hardy, Daniel Darc and Elliot Murphy), a composer, writer, and occasional actor, Bonello’s film work reflects strong artistic influences, by reformulating the relationship between music and film as well as art and film.
Bonello’s latest feature film, the slick Saint Laurent (which opens in limited release from May 8) sees him return to realms of fashion by exploring the noted designer’s life and his work.
House of Tolerance (2011)
On War (2008)
Cindy: The Doll Is Mine (2005)
Saint Laurent (2014)
I Put A Spell of You: The Films of Bertrand Bonello runs from April 29 – May 4 at the Film Society of Lincoln Center in NYC. For more information and tickets, click here.