The Girl in the Snow

After arriving to work in a remote Alpine village, idealistic young teacher Aimée (the luminous Galatéa Bellugi) quickly butts up against the archaic superstitions and prejudices of its geographically and culturally isolated residents. As winter’s harsh conditions endanger the town, the villagers turn against the newcomer in their midst, blaming her for every misfortune that befalls them. Following up a series of acclaimed documentaries, Louise Hémon has constructed her first narrative feature around accounts from generations of teachers in her own family, while taking full advantage of the forbidding, spectacular scenery of her mountain setting (cinematographer Marine Atlan earned a César Award nomination). Beyond the film’s ambitious scope and bold style, the prejudices of rural France at the turn of the last century are represented in ways that are startlingly, grimly resonant with this century’s rise of reactionary sentiment worldwide. Winner of the Jean Vigo Prize and the André Bazin Prize.