-Written by Michelle Vorob.
2024 FILM MAUDIT 2.0 REVIEW!
ymoR is a short film by Julien Lahmi, inspired by the life experience of Romy Schneider. I don’t think it's right to say it pays homage to her, although in some respects, it does. ymoR is a social commentary of sorts. Through a mash-up of visuals and sounds that includes pertinent clips of films, actors and music as it relates to Romy's life experience, we are shown a garbled succession of images that portrays her acting life in the spotlight and the sexual abuse she suffered in private.
While the imagery effectively conveys this, short a film as it was, ymoR grew tiresome and repetitive. Quite a feat for something that ran under ten minutes. For me, this style of film is something I would classify as too artsy, and if someone were to be less polite about it, you could say ymoR comes off as pretentious. There's almost no point to it, except for the sake of doing it.
However, despite the fact that ymoR somehow went on too long for what it was and despite the unnecessary repetition, what I did like was how effectively the imagery portrayed the objectification of women, sexual abuse/incest and how it “infects” the victim.
Now, despite the fact that ymoR overall was not my cup of tea, let me dazzle you with the many accolades this short film has accrued: Grand Prize for students at the VIDEOFORMES festival in Clermont, Mention at the French Duck Film Festival, Pulse Editions Prize at the Mashup Film Festival Paris (under pseudonym), selection at the Sao Paulo International Short Film Festival, Ibrida Festival in Forli Italy, the Internationales Festival Zeichen der Nacht in Berlin, and the Festival Europe Around Europe in Paris.
So, where does this leave us with ymoR? Well, maybe you'll like it, maybe not. If you were a Twin Peaks [or David Lynch] fan back in the day, you may like the tone and style. If you're a fan of pop culture, you may appreciate the myriad of visuals and sound compiled from some of the most iconic and cult works out there.
ymoR is a mash-up of pop culture imagery and sound, a music video of sorts, as it relates to Romy's experience. A somber reminder that abuse stays with someone for life and if they don't get the proper help, it can destroy them.
Directed by Julien Lahmi.
3.5/10 = WORTH THE RISK, BUT YOU’VE BEEN WARNED
