Le Désir de peindre
A film by Jean-Michel Després
Synopsis
The Way I Paint, French title Le Désir de peindre, is one of Jean-Michel Després’s most personal films. The story follows Tonino, a twenty-year-old Italian artist who travels to Paris in search of traces of his deceased parents. Along the banks of the Seine, he meets Mario, an elderly bookseller passionate about literature, who helps him sell his paintings. Another artist then enters his life: a mature and fascinating female painter who becomes for him a mother, a goddess and a lover.
Director’s note
The film explores artistic creation as a way of surviving, loving and understanding the world. Tonino paints on wooden boards, searching for light and colors in order to overcome his fear of darkness. In his imagination, he converses with painters such as Chagall, Schiele and Modigliani, whom he perceives as protective and almost familial figures.
Paris is not merely a backdrop. It is a place of culture, art and literature, but also an intimate space where Tonino attempts to rediscover a lost origin. The city becomes the stage for a quest for identity and love.
Le Désir de peindre celebrates woman, nature, creation and life. Desire is not treated simply as something physical, but as a foundational energy: the desire to paint, to love, to understand and to transmit. This film is a poem dedicated to femininity.
Cast
- Giulia Di Quilio
- Andrea Cianci
- Philippe Morier-Genoud
- Sophie Gaberel
- Geoffrey Carey
- Georges Lavaudant
Credits
- Executive producerJean-Michel Després
- ScreenwriterJean-Michel Després
- Director of photographyJean-Michel Després
- ComposerUlysse Vigreux
- EditorJean-Michel Després
- Sound engineerJean-Michel Després
- Sound editorJean-Michel Després
- Sound mixerJean-Michel Després
- NarratorArmando De Ceccon
Technical details
Images
