Accordéon

The mind-bending, ever-changing images in animator Michèle Cournoyer's latest work lay bare her innermost feelings. A powerful and at times disquieting piece steeped in black humor, "Accordion" draws its energy from the clash of our different urges, and it conveys sexual attraction and the search for love.

A woman connects to the Internet. She not only embraces technology, but she surrenders to it entirely, as she downloads her body and soul to her electronic lover. In this world of Pandora's boxes, sexual desire and dehumanizing machine intertwine till they're finally and brutally disconnected. As the action unfolds, blotches of ink gradually increase, creating a disturbing quality. It's as if pure passion is spilling from the film, leaking out of the frames and splashing the eye of the startled viewer.

The filmmaker, paradoxically, shunned high-tech sophistication in favor of a simple, low-cost technique, sepia ink on paper.

Release date is that of exhibition at Rendez-vous du Cinéma Québécois.

Nominee, Golden Palm, Best Short Film, Michèle Cournoyer, Cannes Film Festival, 2004