At 22, Céline receives several shocks: her father dies and she learns she was adopted; she rejects her inheritance, so her fiancé jilts her. She’s suicidal. A nurse sees her weeping in public and takes her home. Her mother hires the nurse, Geneviève, to care for Céline; Geneviève imposes the same work and meditation regime she herself used to recover from similar depression two years before. The film plays out the resulting dynamics: Céline has mystical success in meditation, and neighbor children discover she has healing powers. Yet life remains painful. Meanwhile, the friendship is now the center of Geneviève’s life. When Céline leaves, Geneviève must cope anew with loss. –IMDb
Jean-Claude Brisseau (born 17 July 1944) is a French filmmaker best known for his 2002 film Secret Things (“Choses Secrètes”) and his 2006 film The Exterminating Angels (“Les Anges exterminateurs”).
In 2002 he was arrested on charges of harassment, fined and given a suspended one-year prison sentence. The plaintiffs were three women who had performed sex acts in front of him during their auditions. This was to form the basis of the The Exterminating Angels film.
He was formerly a professor at La Femis (Paris). His film Céline was nominated for the Golden Bear Award at the 42nd Berlin International Film Festival. At the Cannes Film Festival, he was awarded the France Culture Award in 2003 for Secret Things; in 1988 he was awarded the Special Award for the Youth. —Wikipedia
