Claire Simon returned to Châteaudouble to visit a childhood friend

In the heart of Provence, among the cliffs of the Châteaudouble gorge, the renowned French filmmaker Claire Simon once again turned to her roots, presenting two films connected to her youth. The evening, organised in this picturesque location, was a tribute to her childhood friend Simon Merabet, whose life formed the basis of her early works. For Simon this region is not just geography, but a source of stories and emotions she has carried throughout her career.

Returning to the roots: a commemorative evening in Châteaudouble

In the Châteaudouble gorge, where limestone cliffs rise above the greenery, Claire Simon gathered an audience for an open-air screening of two of her films — «My Dear Simon» and «Human Geography». These films, made decades apart, are united by the figure of Simon Merabet — the director’s childhood friend, who became not only the subject of her early short debut but also a kind of guide in her later documentary project. For Simon it was not merely a screening, but a personal return to the place where more than forty years ago she first picked up a camera.

Simon, who grew up in the neighbouring Claviers, remembers Châteaudouble as a “libertarian and inventive” village, where she found a circle of like-minded people — Philippe, Pierre and, of course, Simon. It was here, in the early 1980s, that she began shooting her famous trilogy about money, exploring everyday stories through the prism of financial relationships. The short film «My Dear Simon» became the first sign — a piercing portrait of her friend, who at 22 was trying to work out his own relationship to labour and wealth.

The trilogy about money: from the personal to the universal

Claire Simon recalls that the idea for the trilogy arose from a simple observation: “Everyone works to live, and everyone has a relationship with money. It is enough to follow the path of a wallet to get a story.” These words became her cinematic manifesto. In «My Dear Simon» the camera follows a protagonist who, unemployed as a photographer, tries to find his place in life while reflecting on the meaning of existence. The second part, «No, It’s Not Me, or Patricia’s Money», tells of the financial difficulties of the director’s friend, and the third, «A Day’s Holiday», is devoted to Simon’s father and his complicated relationship with money.

These shorts foreshadowed larger works. In 1997 Simon released her first full-length fiction film «And If Not, Then Yes» starring Catherine Mendes and Lou Castel, where she explored the fragility of family relationships. Later came documentary projects such as «At Any Cost» about workers’ struggles to save a factory and «Recreations» about the cruelty of children’s games. Each of these films reflected social issues through personal stories, which became the director’s trademark, as noted by CNC.

Gare du Nord: a mirror of human fates

Thirty years after her first experiences in Châteaudouble, Claire Simon met Simon Merabet again in Paris. That meeting gave rise to her new project — the film «Gare du Nord», set in one of the busiest railway stations in Europe. Simon describes the place as a “mythological cave” where every passenger is immersed in their own thoughts about fate. In the fiction film starring Nicole Garcia and Reda Kateb she examines chance encounters and their impact on people’s lives.

At the same time Simon shot the documentary «Human Geography», in which Simon Merabet acted as a “messenger”, entering into dialogue with travellers. Thanks to his charisma and life experience, the director was able to capture extraordinary conversations with strangers. “Simon, the son of an immigrant, travelled widely, and thanks to him we managed to film remarkable dialogues,” Simon notes. Together they recorded the life of the station from the first morning commuter trains to the luxurious expresses, revealing the stories of ordinary people.

A female perspective: body and freedom

A special place in Claire Simon’s work is given to the theme of the female body and reproductive rights. In 2008 she presented the film «The Office of God», combining documentary and fiction, in which well-known actresses — Anne Alvaro, Nathalie Baye, Isabelle Carré, Nicole Garcia, Béatrice Dalle — recreated real conversations heard in family planning centres. For the director it was “an enormously profound change in civilisation: women can decide what to do with their bodies.” This film became a manifesto of freedom of choice and provoked a wide public response.

Like other artists inspired by the southern light of France — from Francis Scott Fitzgerald to actor Jean Reno — Claire Simon sees Provence not as a backdrop but as a full co-author of her stories. This same connection to the land is felt at other summer venues in the region, including the Harvest Festival in Provence.

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Photo: Jean-Paul Wettstein / Pexels