The weight of religion is very heavy on a society,” mentioned French author Annie Ernaux while commenting on the role that religion plays in deciding the rights of a woman. This remark was made at a question-answer session after the screening of Happening (2021), a critically acclaimed French film that was adapted from Ernaux’s autobiographical novel of the same name.
As the film—directed by Audrey Diwan, Happening was screened in the auditorium of the Alliance Française de Delhi on Monday—progressed, emotions were running high among the attendees, most of whom were cinephiles and literary enthusiasts. The cinematic portrayal of the protagonist Anne, a student who tries to terminate her pregnancy in France at a time prior to the legalisation of abortion, was powerful yet sombre for the audience. Talking about her memoir-turned-film, Ernaux shared, “The film corresponds to my idea of liberation. The choice of Annie to go back to studies is liberation.”
A sense of agency through art
Literature, cinema, and other similar mediums have always paved the way for social evolution. Ernaux’s book Happening is a good case in point. The author mentioned that before the Veil Law in 1975, abortion and access to contraceptive methods were illegal in France. She pointed out that religion has always weighed heavily on French society and culture, “Till date, Catholicism has been against abortion. For example, the Pope, however liberal, has not authorised abortion till date.”
Ernaux further noted that though France is secular, Catholicism remains predominant, and the traditions of the country stem from this religion. The author shared that, through her memoir, she wished to convey her story, which she documented in her journal at the time, since not much is publicly known about the state of women of that era.
Gripping cinematic portrayal
At the screening, we met West Delhi resident Aditya Ahuja (25), who shared that he strongly felt Anne’s emotions. He added, “The Indian audience may not be ready for such movies, but it is now high time, especially in the backdrop of developed countries such as the USA having recently passed a judgment against pro-abortion rights. I have seen several Indian as well as international movies, but the concept of abortion has not been shown as well as it has in this movie.”
Deepa Joshi (32), another attendee, mentioned she read Ernaux’s work during her graduation days at Delhi University, “The intermingling of personal experiences of how and what she has faced throughout, and bringing it out to a larger audience for them to relate to, takes a lot of courage, and is empowering for women across diverse and culturally different nations.”
Strengthening India-France relations
This year, France is the Guest of Honour at the National Book Trust of India’s New Delhi World Book Fair (NDWBF) 2023—an ongoing literary event at Pragati Maidan, which commences on March 5. In 2022, India was the designated Country of Honour at the Festival du Livre de Paris, which featured an interesting line-up of Indian authors. Commenting on India-France relations, Emmanuel Lebrun-Damiens, the Counsellor for Education, Science & Culture, French Embassy in India, shared, “This exchange will enhance broader perspectives in the place of literature in our cultural cooperation worldwide, also in the bilateral relations between France and India.”
Speaking about the huge turnout at the French Pavilion in NDWBF, Damiens shared, “After inviting Annie Ernaux to India, we realised that she had had a profound impact on women growing up in India and
that many Indian writers admire her profoundly.” Touching upon this topic, Damiens concluded that more and more contemporary writers and poets from both nations are being translated into the other’s languages.