when female emancipation rhymes with alternative education in a film about Maria Montessori

After two documentaries, Léa Todorov made her first fiction, drawing inspiration from the avant-garde teacher of the early 20th century.

The New Womanwhich comes out Wednesday March 13, lifts the veil on Maria Montessori played by Jasmine Trinca, a woman at the crossroads of emerging feminism and the world of education, to which she brought a “method” which has since spread to 25,000 establishments around the world.

Léa Todorov’s first fiction film, its original subject sheds light on a woman with diverse facets, seen through the eyes of a Belle Époque courtesan (Leïla Bekhti).

Autonomy and citizen recognition

A famous Parisian demi-mondaine in 1900, Lili d’Alengy hides her little daughter born disabled and decides to take her to live in Rome. There she meets Maria Montessori, a doctor who has developed a new educational method intended for “deficient” people.

Maria also hides a child born out of wedlock. Too modern for their time, Lili and Maria will help each other to establish themselves in a man’s world.

The “new woman” of the title of Léa Todorov’s film designated in the first twenty years of the 20th century the claimants for emancipation from the dominant patriarchy. Whether in the factory, in the tertiary sector, in art, these “entrepreneurs” demand autonomy, civic recognition, and shake up society. Maria Montessori’s main focus will be education.

The discovery of the teacher in the film through external eyes, other than narrative (voice-over, witnesses, etc.), separates the film from traditional biopics. In choosing a courtesan “encumbered” by a child, Léa Todorov is judicious.

The good choice

Her nickname Lili d’Alengy evokes that of Liane de Pougy, famous demi-mondaine of the Belle Époque. The classic staging takes care of its 1900 sets and costumes, the period being essential to the subject. Opposite the courtesan, Jasmine Trinca plays a discreet, but pugnacious Maria Montessori, invested with a conviction who carries out her mission against all odds.

The liberation of women in the face of patriarchy unites many films today, because it reflects a present concern. Maria Montessori is the right choice for the subject, without ignoring her romance. Léa Todorov moves from documentary to fiction with talent, in the light of a beautiful classicism, while waiting for more daring, like her model.

The sheet

Gender : Comedy
Director: Lea Todorov
Actors: Jasmine Trinca, Leïla Bekhti, Rafaëlle Sonneville-Caby, Agathe Bonitzer, Sébastien Pouderoux
Country : France/Italy
Duration : 1h39
Exit : March 13, 2024
Distributer : Ad Vitam

Synopsis: In 1900, Lili d’Alengy, a famous Parisian courtesan, has a shameful secret – her daughter Tina, born with a disability. Unwilling to take care of a child who threatens her career, she decides to leave Paris for Rome. There she met Maria Montessori, a doctor who developed a revolutionary learning method for children who were then called “deficient”. But Maria also hides a secret: a child born out of wedlock. Together, the two women will help each other to gain their place in this man’s world and make history.