worthy – SamaGamer

At Paris Fashion Week, certain shows sometimes have particular symbolism. This was the case this Wednesday evening for Jeanne Friot’s show. The Parisian designer had taken over the Grand Rex club, in the basement of the emblematic Parisian cinema, to present her fall-winter 2024-2025 collection entitled “Coming out”.

After several presentations via the incubator for emerging designers SPHERE – attached to the Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode –, Jeanne Friot inaugurated her very first fashion show outside the Palais de Tokyo in a setting that reflects her image: punk and underground. The few guests who came to support the 29-year-old Parisian attended an invigorating show, even transported, and punctuated by surprises such as the presence on the podium of the host Daphné Burki in a rigid corset dress riddled with belts, or of the DJ Sara Zinger is responsible for putting the music to the show.

“I do fashion to talk about the deconstructions that I am experiencing as a lesbian woman,” Jeanne Friot told me during our first meeting last February. And we can say that, within the framework of this fourth collection, this was particularly seen and heard – the final music of the show was notably “All The Things She Said”, the lesbian anthem from the group tATu Celle qui s ‘in line with Vivienne Westwood has once again paid tribute to the legendary British designer thanks to a strong and committed collection, inspired by her own personal love story: “The song ‘Loveher’ by Romy made me want to talk about my love story with my wife and to tell a lesbian story through a collection,” she explained to me again.

“I wanted to rework the lesbian imaginaries of butch and fem through a collection.”

Jeanne Friot

This new fall wardrobe, totally gerderfluid, gave pride of place to shades of purple, the color of the lesbian flag and the chromatic red thread of the collection. After the scarlet red of her previous winter collection “Red Warriors”, Jeanne Friot this time opted for a more versatile wardrobe, less spectacular and very controlled despite its apparent carelessness. Hand-painted jacket and wide trouser sets, large brown faux fur coats or colorful trouser skirts… The collection is deliberately eclectic, drawing on all styles, which end up blending together in the most natural way.

“I wanted to show that when you fall in love with someone the locker rooms split to create a third locker room. This collection is two different wardrobes coming together,” explained Jeanne Friot. We of course found in this collection the Jeanne Friot touch like the tartan or the pants set with feathers. “I also wanted to rework the lesbian imaginaries of the butch and the fem. I wondered if these stereotypes were still valid today and how we could bring them up to date. And above all how they could shine through clothes,” summarized Jeanne Friot.

‘Offering to the storm’ is the film that closes the Baztán trilogy, one of the most ambitious productions of recent Spanish cinema based on the novels of Dolores Redondo. After the success of ‘The invisible guardian’ it was announced that the next two would be filmed at the same time. It has been months since we could see ‘Legacy in the bones’ in our closest rooms and that was the plan with ‘Offering to the storm’ until the coronavirus crisis broke out.

Initially its premiere was passed from March 17 to June 12, but the entry into the scene of Netflix caused the film directed by Fernando Gonzalez Molina placeholder image arrive directly to the streaming platform this Friday, July 24. Personally, I did not enjoy the two previous installments too much, although I did think that ‘Legacy in the bones’ seemed something better achieved than ‘The invisible guardian’, and the one that concerns us now does not go beyond being a worthy closing for the Baztán Trilogy.

Closing the circle

The film is being sold as the closure of the mysterious crimes that have plagued the Baztán valley, which began to be investigated by Inspector Amaia Salazar in ‘The invisible guardian’. It was therefore time to bet decisively on one of the components of the story, since the franchise had always flirted with a fantastic element that was what allowed it to be something more than a procedural more or less achieved with a technical finish well above the average in Spanish cinema.

Here that point is reduced to its minimum expression for the benefit of an investigation aimed at finding those responsible behind a wave of crimes that had been treated as individual cases or mere accidents. The fact that the victims are babies is something that always gives added strength, but in the present case it was something that was never fully exploited by having some too mechanical scripts, especially in relation to the dialogues.

In this way, one saw the previous installments always thinking that in no case did they finish taking advantage of a juicy material. In the case of ‘Offering to the storm’, it is not that there is a substantial improvement, but by having a clearer plot line and with an inevitable destiny – you don’t have to be a lynx to smell where the investigation is going to take its protagonist – this rigidity in the dialogues and in the construction of the characters is achieved less annoying.

Lights and shadows of ‘Offering to the storm’

It also helps to be already familiar with the approach with which González Molina approaches the film, that is, with a slightly depressing affected touch that seeks intensity above all else. This also applies to the troubled personal life of the character played by Marta Etura, something that could have led to a disaster on all fronts, but is resolved in an acceptable way. At least they give you the necessary weight so that it doesn’t feel like an unnecessary add-on.

Since ‘The invisible guardian’ the personal ties of the case had been influenced, but then it was mainly due to the conflictive relationship with his mother, while here it is because of the fragile moment that the relationship with the father of his son passes. There is nothing especially stimulating about it, but yes add another layer to the protagonist that allows you to better explain your obsession in the case and how far you are willing to settle everything.

In addition, the fact of having to finally uncover the truth makes everything flow more satisfactorily, even when you get into quicksand where you could have easily sunk. It is true that the rest of the cast, perhaps with the exception of Leonardo SbaragliaThey feel more like pieces in the history of Amaia than as characters with their own entity, but at least they are given a suitable use instead of being there without one knowing very well what they contribute.

Technically, ‘Offering to the Storm’ is at the level of its predecessors. That’s where ‘The Invisible Guardian’ and ‘Legacy in the Bones’ looked best, so it’s not bad news at all. I especially like how a certain aura of loneliness is created around the protagonist at certain moments, which allows Etura to delve into her most dramatic register with success.

In short

‘Offering to the storm’ is no wonder, as neither were its two predecessors, but at least it knows how to close this story by Amaia Salazar in an acceptable way. I doubt that fans of ‘The invisible guardian’ and ‘Legacy in the bones’ will end up disappointed with her, and the rest already know a little what there is, so it would be better if they did not expect a big surprise that improves what has been seen so far.

You can watch ‘Offering to the Storm’ on Netflix starting July 24.