Une simple histoire
overview
This simple story of a mother and daughter finds them struggling to find work and food in Paris. Micheline Bezancon is the expressionless young mother who alone worries about the future of her and her daughter. Filmed in black and white, the directorial approach is as simple as the title. She engages in a poignant narrative about her daily life. Half of the time the screen is black, evoking a feeling of despair that permeates the feature.
Shot in 16 mm in Paris & its suburbs and co-produced by French television on a very low budget. This was inspired by an item on the back page of a newspaper. The essence of the film is captured by its first person voice-over commentary, and was considered "one of the few genuine masterpieces in the entire history of cinema" by film theorist Noel Burch. The film is not available in English translation, either dubbed or subtitled. But it works very well in simultaneous translation, if prepared in advance.