In a concise opening, Thierry de Peretti’s In His Own Image introduces its heroine Antonia (Clara-Maria Laredo), a young and passionate photographer who seems to be, despite her commitment to her work (here shown taking pictures of newlyweds), somewhat troubled and melancholic. Specifically, there’s the sense of inner demons at play, as she is first engaged in a mild phone argument with her mother, before being shown trying to drown some hidden sorrows in alcohol. Later, she unexpectedly and tragically dies in a car accident, which sets the narrative’s trajectory as a continuous chain of flashbacks accompanied by voiceover narration from Antonia’s longtime friend Simon (Marc-Antonu Mozziconacci) for the rest of the film. Adapted from Jérôme Ferrari’s novel of the same name, and set on the beautiful Mediterranean island of Corsica where the film spans from the late 1970s to the dawn of the 21st century, In His Own Image episodically chronicles the life and career of Antonia, from her earliest childhood obsession with the notion of photography — encouraged by her godfather (portrayed by Peretti), who presents her with an analog camera as a birthday gift — and her adolescent amateur endeavors, to developing a romance with the young FLNC (the National Liberation Front Of Corsica) radical militant Pascal (Louis Starace), her struggles as a talented photojournalist for the local newspaper Corse-Matin in Ajaccio that can never quite fulfill her ambitions amidst the political turmoil and protests in this coastal area, and her later efforts as a war photographer in former Yugoslavia. It’s an archeological journey to the past wherein both the personal and political, the tranquility of the sun-drenched Corsica and its political violent unrest, and more globally widespread tragedies are simultaneously intertwined within the same human ecosystem.
Throughout the film, Antonia’s half-uncertain and half-determined presence manifests as a reliable anchor during the constantly erratic upheavals of her world, and we frequently see her with her camera (both as a shield and a magnifying instrument for her gaze) trying to find the right distance and the perfect angles to capture her surroundings, subjects, the people. This is accompanied by her contemplation on what’s inside or should be inside an image (the seen) and what yet remains outside of the frame (the unseen), as if — never satisfied with what’s being shown in the media or can be observed through one’s eyes without the aid of camera lenses — she desperately seeks an uncapturable, final truth within everyday events and reality — along with trying to find meaning in life or even a solid identity in the dominant, brutal male world. And in a sense, this concept works nicely in tandem with Peretti’s unbiased and objective aesthetic approach. While In His Own Image’s overall unadorned visual realism remains dominant throughout — an approach which, on some level, tiptoes the border between fiction and cinéma vérité while folding in still images and archival material — Peretti’s precise mise en scène, particularly with regarding to composing and blocking crowded scenes, showcases a painterly effect that even comes to resemble the stylistic artistry of some Renaissance paintings.
And, again, part of In His Own Image’s captivating allure is that without ever isolating the political backdrop or over-emphasizing the events at hand, Peretti manages to exhibit these radical Nationalist actions and conflicts (sabotage, kidnapping, execution, etc.) within the natural flow of everyday activities and liveliness of the citizenry. Whether gathering in local cafes, bars, or a concert venue where dancing, imbibing, and friendly chats abound, In His Own Image offers an intersection where joie de vivre meets with inescapable terror, violence, and maladies of the larger world. Though it’s true that the film’s elliptical and fragmented approach may occasionally feel scattershot or schematic, and lacking density with regard to character developments — and that’s on top of the fact that the subject matter and historical context may not be entirely accessible or relatable to most non-domestic viewers — In His Own Image nevertheless paints a panoramic fresco of multiple eras and generations that allows the audience to freely navigate various events and situations. The result is a personal exploration which manages to bring the viewer’s own objective and subjective experiences in conversation with Antonia’s, all of us at the mercy of such existential bewilderments as love and loss, trauma and ecstasy.
Published as part of Rendez-Vous with French Cinema 2025 — Dispatch 1.
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