Small Talk

synopsis

How does one behave properly in society, carry oneself with elegance and conduct a polite conversation? Charlie, a 35-year-old Frenchwoman, decides to change her career and sets off on a summer course at the last remaining school of etiquette. Surrounded by the Swiss countryside, she joins women from all corners of the world to learn the rules of dining, the art of hospitality and social etiquette. Through lessons and seemingly casual conversations, the students gradually grow closer, sharing their life stories and forming deep friendships. This sensitive and at times humorous film follows its likeable protagonist in an environment where an emphasis on elegance, discipline and good manners intertwines with conservative notions of the female role. Are the women here learning to conduct themselves confidently in society, or are they still expected, above all, to be perfect wives? With gentle irony, the film explores gender stereotypes and the tensions between tradition and modernity, asking what women’s emancipation actually means and to what extent women themselves can determine its form.

“You feel free to do what you want because you’re successful.”

biography

Swiss-Uruguayan independent filmmaker and producer Mateo Ybarra (1992) studied film production in London and film directing in Geneva. He is a member of the selection committee for the Visions du Réel festival. His film Over Our Hills (2022) won the award for Best Editing and the Student Jury Prize at the Ji.hlava International Documentary Film Festival.

film details

director:	Mateo Ybarra
cast:	Hélène Bares
producer:	Madeline Robert, Mateo Ybarra
script:	Louis Rebetez, Milan Alfonsi, Hélène Bares, Mateo Ybarra
photography:	Lucie Goldryng
editing:	Rémi Langlade
music:	Pierre Desprats
sound:	Théodora Menthonnex

contact

Amelia Yataghene / Urban Sales
amelia@urbangroup.biz