Simone – the journey of the century – "Soon this generation that was not supposed to survive will die"
Simone Film Review
The film is fiercely and deeply feminist but what could be more normal for a film dedicated to an extraordinary woman who allowed one of the most basic rights for them even if not understood by all to be constitutionalized. Simone – the journey of the century focuses on two primordial subjects: the revelation of the Holocaust to the general public and the vote on the right to abortion. While the first rhymes with omission, silence as thunderous as it was astonishing, silence of the authorities and constrained silence of the survivors. The second consists of a surplus of prolixity with interventions in the Assembly mixed with machismo, misogyny and scabrous comparisons with the Nazi abomination. Her struggles – which I would describe as secondary in view of what Olivier Dahan shows during these hundred and forty busy minutes – such as AIDS, the improvement of prisoners' conditions, Algeria or Europe (the only theme on which she was not visionary even if we understand the original project which was the need for fraternity between peoples), Some will consider the film as a catch-all, I see it more as the choice of completeness. Among the moments of rare poetry are that of a travelling retrace the train journey borrowed from visions of bombings and snowy landscapes with Simone recounting the last moments of the conflict, relief, liberation literally and figuratively. Even the incidental scenes are great like the debate on classical music that makes you want to know more about it. As for Elsa Zylberstein, she completely disappears to let Simone Veil emerge.
