A GOOD MAN - Film's picture © WILLOW FILMS / PYRAMIDE DISTRIBUTION
A Good Man by Marie Castille Mention-Schaar: a love story that transcends gender
Appearing for the first time in the Official Selection at Cannes with A Good Man, Marie Castille Mention-Schaar explores the recurring themes in her filmography of love and family. In her latest film, she adds a new dimension to these subjects by delving into the uncharted territory of pregnant transgender men. In Selection at Cannes and shown at the Deauville and Toronto film festivals, A Good Man, distributed by Pyramide Distribution, will be released in French cinemas on 13 October.
Benjamin and Aude are a couple in love, who have lived together for 6 years. Aude has been suffering with infertility problems. To show his love for her, Benjamin, who was called Sarah at birth, decides he will carry their baby.
The screenplay of A Good Man takes inspiration from the real-life story of Jacob Hunt, who was born as Susan in the USA, and whose female-to-male transition was documented by his half-brother Christian Sonderegger in the film Coby, which was included in the ACID selection in 2017. Marie Castille Mention-Schaar, who helped produce the documentary at the time, remained particularly affected by the final stage of Jacob’s transition: the hysterectomy that leaves him with the dilemma of whether or not to give up the chance to have a child naturally with his then girlfriend.
Three years later, A Good Man, for which Christian Sonderegger is the co-screenwriter, conveys the director’s own thoughts about the search for identity and transsexual people’s desire for parenthood. The director has decided to use fiction to address the taboo of pregnant men, a subject that has been significantly underrepresented until now, but which is a reality for around 2,000 people a year in the United States and numerous more worldwide.
The film also captures the director’s aim to add a human dimension to current debates surrounding surrogacy and assisted reproductive technology, which can often be heated and abstract, and in stark contrast to the simple and universal desire to have a family.
To embody this extraordinary couple, Marie Castille Mention-Schaar turned to one of her favourite actresses Noémie Merlant, as well as the singer and actress Soko, who has hit the red carpet previously thanks to her performances in La Danseuse (The Dancer) by Stéphanie Di Giusto and Voir du Pays (The Stopover) by Delphine and Muriel Coulin; both films which were selected for Un Certain Regard in 2016. The director explains her controversial decision to give the role of Benjamin to a cisgender actress:
“For me, it would be ridiculous, unfair and counterproductive if trans actors were confined solely to trans roles, so the same reasoning should be applied to cisgender actors and actresses. Because, regardless of their gender, sexual identity or skin colour, an actor or actress is first and foremost a performer. And I believe the character they portray sometimes needs their own experience, but above all their technical skill and talent.” Marie Castille Mention-Schaar
