“Foudre”, director Carmen Jacquier’s debut movie, is set in a remote Alpine valley in the summer of 1900. It was filmed in the Binn Valley (canton of Valais). Elisabeth, 17, is about to take her vows as a nun when she has to return to help on the family farm after the sudden death of her oldest sister, Innocente. The exact circumstances of Innocente’s death remain a taboo until Elisabeth stumbles upon her sister’s diary one day. “Foudre” (which means bolt of lightning in French) is a vivid tale of religious piety and sexual awakening – among a devoutly Catholic community in which sensuality and female lust are regarded as the devil’s work. After premiering in Toronto in 2022, the film was screened at numerous festivals and has already won a number of awards. Now it is Switzerland’s entry at the Oscars in the Best International Feature Film category. We will find out at the end of December whether “Foudre” is on the Academy shortlist. The next Oscars ceremony will take place in March 2024. The last Swiss feature to win best foreign-language film was “Journey of Hope” in 1991 directed by Xavier Koller, which captured the plight of refugees. Regardless of whether it bags a prestigious Oscar nomination, the film is to be released in the United States under the title “Thunder”. The US rights have already been signed. THEODORA PETER Film trailer: revue.link/thunder Swiss Review / December 2023 / No.6 13
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