1 Degré de Séparation
Critic:
Patrick Foley
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Posted on:
Jan 31, 2025

Directed by:
Sonia Rossier
Written by:
Tiziana Giammarino, Lauraine Gillieron
Starring:
Lauraine Gillieron, Maria Mettral, Isabelle Caillat
French short 1 Degré de Séparation packs an emotional punch. Set a little-known French law that permits posthumous marriage, it explores the complexity of emotions experienced by those who go through with such an arrangement. What may have otherwise been a straightforward tear-jerker actually considers more difficult and realistic journeys that partners go through following the loss of a lover.
The film follows Victoria (Lauriane Gillieron) on her wedding day. Already dressed in white, she tries to navigate final preparations whilst kids and family members circumnavigate her. A strange tension in the air and fraught conversations suggest there is an underlying schism in her upcoming nuptials. But the reality of her marriage-to-be and the hesitancy that surrounds the event is revealed to be something all the more tragic.
Undying love is at the heart of 1 Degré de Séparation, with a closing message dedicating the short to those who are left behind. The conclusion is a bittersweet but touching moment in which Victoria realises the importance of her decision and attains a sense of peach – movingly and powerfully captured by Lauriane Gillieron. In this sense the film is something of a tribute to the obscure and unusual law in France that permits posthumous unions – one that provides comfort and finality to the bereaved.
There are moments of drama in the lead-up to the ceremony relating to family heirlooms, much of which however feel like more of a preamble in place to add a dramatic edge. Running at a crisp ten minutes, the film doesn’t really delve too far into the more ethical, moral or practical questions around the law. Granted this may not be the purpose, but given that the filmmakers are clearly happy to raise some questions around Victoria’s decision it feels like a missed opportunity to take on any critics who may stand in opposition to the legal function, or who have questions about how such marriages can work once the credits roll. Much of this is a result of wanting to maintain the surprise ending of the film – a dramatic conclusion for sure, but one that perhaps undermines the actual purpose of the short.
1 Degré de Séparation is surprisingly engaging and does avoid some of the soppier pitfalls that a film addressing spousal loss may have encountered. Some of its storytelling however is a little confusing and it elects not to tackle certain ethical aspects of its subject.