Spirit of Ecstasy

Q&A with Héléna Klotz on Mar. 8

This up-to-the-minute, stylishly directed look at the world of high finance is built around a nuanced character study of nonbinary Jeanne (Claire Pommet, also known as indie pop musician Pomme). For Jeanne, high finance isn’t just something they’re good at but a chance to get out of their family’s dead-end lifestyle on a military base. While working as an intern at a finance company, they latch onto an unexpected chance to rocket to the top of the professional ladder after ruthless trader Farès (Sofiane Zermani) takes Jeanne under his wing. The sophomore feature from director Héléna Klotz (whose debut, The Atomic Age, played at Rendez-Vous 2013) is a brilliantly staged depiction of a young person’s personal and professional emancipation, following its protagonist’s initiatory journey with great complexity and sensitivity.