The Assessment
A Conversation with Fleur Fortuné
It’s always revitalizing to discover a new voice in cinema. Sometimes they come out of nowhere, other times they build a smaller body of work like music videos or short films, before bursting onto the scene with something potent. French director Fleur Fortuné falls into the latter category, an artist honing her craft for over a decade and now arriving fully formed with sci-fi romp The Assessment.
Starring Elizabeth Olsen, Alicia Vikander and Himesh Patel, The Assessment’s press notes describe it as such: “In a not-so-distant future where parenthood is strictly controlled, a couple's mysterious seven-day assessment for the right to have a child unravels into a nightmare, forcing them to question the very foundations of society.” Like the best two or three-handers, it winds you up slowly, patiently sinking you into character dynamics and peppering in moments of dread or unease. Before you know it, the couple’s lives are given way to true insanity, in large part due to Alicia Vikander’s wild performance.
(To read more about the film and about Olsen and Vikander’s process of sinking into this future world, I had a great conversation with the pair for The Film Stage, linked here. )
It would be one thing for this to be carried by its performances, I mean how many times have you seen a single-location film and found yourself thinking “this could’ve been a play”? Not in Fleur Fortuné’s hands. Her future world isn’t cold, clinical, Apple Store-chic but instead one that feels oddly familiar. The “Haves” of this society exist beyond a domed environment, staving off an unnamed climate crisis. Our couple lives near a gorgeous ocean, Olsen’s Mia spending much of her time swimming or tending to her greenhouse. Their home is almost brutalist in its cold, rigid exterior, a small marker that this is, in fact, a dystopian future but once inside, there’s a lived-in quality that eases you immediately. Piet Mondarian-style windows, worn couches, an almost rustic kitchen, all signifiers that yes, despite the dark future you’re peering into, a human touch will hopefully always exist.
Fortuné’s eye is so special and it’s one that’s identifiable if you’re like me and have spent years with her work. Prior to this feature debut, Fortuné, alongside creative partner Manu (as Fleur and Manu), crafted the look we’d come to associate with M83. Working on videos like ‘Midnight City’ and ‘Wait’, she was a key component to developing the band’s image alongside their dreamy, hypnotic sound. Her work seemed to move with my own taste in music, M83 being what I was bumping in my early 20s in college and then, all the way to the rap I love now. Directing Travis Scott’s incredible ‘Birds in the Trap’ video, Fortuné brought something of a Neo-Afrofuturist look calling to mind recent films like Atlantique or Saloum. Even her ad work is distinct, her collaboration with Pharrell on his Chanel campaign a true highlight of the form.
She’s someone I’ve had my eye on for quite a while and her jump to features isn’t just exciting, it’s a breath of fresh air for sci-fi. It’s a genre we all love but one that’s often remained mired in cold, hollow aesthetics. Fortuné’s style has a warmth to it which makes the political and personal ramifications of her film hit you just a little harder than they would in a unrecognizable, alien future.
In time with the release of The Assessment, I had the privilege to sit down with Fleur for a great chat about the film, crafting its look, her music video work and so much more. You can watch the full conversation in full below.
-Brandon Streussnig