“ I wanted to understand how a sports event of such magnitude as the Olympic Games could affect the lives of those not directly involved”

With the Paris Olympics as a backdrop, Valentine Cadic constructs an unusual summer adventure in which her protagonist, lost in the big city, must face her doubts and yearns in order to find herself again.

– ‘That Summer in Paris’ is your first feature film. It seems like a continuation of your short film ‘Les grandes vacances’, where the character played by actress Blandine Madec once again arrives in an unfamiliar place and her loneliness is confronted by the crowd and the unexpected. What was the starting point?

– The starting point was the desire to make a film during the Olympic Games. It’s true there are similarities with the short film, almost like a mirror effect, because I also wanted to work with Blandine Madec again. However, while writing, I didn’t think about that short or about developing a sequel. The character Blandine plays is different from the one in’ Les grandes vacances’. But the same feeling of loneliness reappears with the same actress, which allows both films to engage in a sort of dialogue.

– When did you decide to shoot during such a unique and particular event as the Olympic Games in Paris? Did the idea arise when the event was confirmed for the capital in 2017?

– No, it was quite a bit later. In my previous short films, I had already included fictional stories in real-life events. For example, in ‘Omaha Beach’, which takes place during D-Day reenactments in Normandy, or ‘Les grandes vacances’, shot in a campsite during the high season. I found it interesting to place fiction within an extraordinary context. I wanted to understand how a sports event of such magnitude could affect the lives of those not directly involved. First, my co-writer Mariette Désert and I started a documentation phase where we interviewed athletes who had participated in the Tokyo or London Games to hear about their experiences. Then I started writing, anticipating what could happen. I knew the shoot would require adapting to many unforeseen situations. One of my references was the photographer Martin Parr, for his eccentric take on crowds.

– Can you tell us about the preparation and the filming approach you set in motion?

– Mariette and I researched all the activities planned during the Games. There was a lot of planning involved to integrate the shoot into such an unusual event. We scheduled all the scenes related to the Olympics for the first half of August, and we considered filming during the Paralympics in September in case we didn’t make it in time. We had to anticipate access restrictions, permits, travel. We formed a small crew to remain flexible and be able to react to the context. Even so, there were surprises: for instance, a scene in which Blandine’s character meets a journalist was supposed to take place during the swimming race, which was canceled due to poor water quality. But we decided to shoot it anyway; there were fewer people, and we could do several takes. We adapted constantly, and since we were well-prepared, we managed to overcome the obstacles. Each sequence required a different approach—whether it was a scene from the Games or a more intimate indoor moment. At the Club France, many thought we were a TV crew.

– What interests you about working between documentary and fiction, with all the limitations that entails?

– The unforeseen elements really enrich the film. Like when you ask passersby to participate. Reality can sometimes surpass any script. Some tourists wore such surprising outfits that we could never have imagined them. In my first short, using the D-Day reenactments, I had a huge natural set and thousands of extras.

– The film fits into the tradition of French auteur cinema around the 2010s, influenced by filmmakers like Rohmer or Rozier. How have those influences shaped you?

– That was the time when I discovered the kind of cinema I loved. I started as an actress and studied film at Paris 8 University. That’s where I discovered the work of Justine Triet, Guillaume Brac, or Claire Simon. Then I came across Rohmer, Rozier, and Varda, who obviously also had an influence on me.

– In the editing, you alternate between immersive festive scenes and more intimate ones high above the city: the sister’s balcony, the Buttes-Chaumont park… How did you construct that contrast?

– The idea was to oppose the large-scale events of the Games with more personal moments: small personal stories set against the big story the city is experiencing. I wanted sequences like suspended bubbles, moments before plunging back into the crowd. Mariette and I worked a lot on that duality. I like having humor, but also depth, and characters who can surprise us. Writing together allowed for a constant exchange—a kind of creative ping-pong. Mariette is an excellent screenwriter, and working with her was thrilling.

– Blandine Madec seems like an alter ego, a muse. How did you meet, and what inspires you about her?

– We met eight years ago on a short film where we both acted. Then I saw her in theater and wanted to propose a project to her. I came across the call for applications for La Résidence des 168 Heures, which supports emerging filmmakers, and I applied with her as the lead. That’s where I discovered her great ability to act and improvise. When I started writing the feature, I offered her the role and she accepted immediately. It’s a somewhat offbeat, complex character, hard to define. Blandine has a natural ability to shift tones—from humor to seriousness.

She shares the same name as her character, but it’s truly a composed performance. First with Mariette, and then with her, we looked for the right tone for that slightly eccentric nature. The challenge was not to disconnect her from her environment while maintaining her comic side. She’s a tender and funny character at the same time.

– What interested you about this female character—complex, somewhat on the sidelines, yet very modern and strong?

– I was really interested in her loneliness: her slightly lost gaze amid the crowd, which leads to discoveries, encounters, even comic situations. That gaze acts as a mirror of society. I wanted to play with the pressure of “living in the moment.” That’s why we used bright colors, almost harsh sunlight, to show the pressure she’s under without really believing in it.

I also liked the idea that the audience wouldn’t know everything from the start but would discover her gradually. In cinema, young solitary women are often linked to drama or danger. I’m interested in exploring solitude as a space of discovery. With Blandine, I wanted to portray those women who are over thirty and don’t fit into social expectations—without necessarily proclaiming it. She’s not afraid of her solitude. Her strength and comedy come from her clumsiness, her clarity, her way of observing the world from a different place.

– Was India Hair an obvious choice for the role of the sister?

– She was the only actress I met for that role. While writing, we feared the character might come off as a Parisian cliché—even unsympathetic. My producers had already worked with India and told me about her. When she read the script and we met to read some scenes, I knew she was the right one.

With her, the character had an unexpected warmth. Working with India was a pleasure: she’s generous, a great listener, full of ideas, and had great chemistry with Blandine.

– How do you handle writing and improvisation on set? How do you work with actors on dialogue?

– Before filming, we did improvisations based on the script with the actors. It was a space to adjust and enrich the characters and talk through their conflicts. On set, they could change words if they felt it sounded more natural. Some scenes allowed for improvisation—especially with secondary characters or with the child, Alma. If the improvisations veered too far, we’d return to the script. During casting with Laure Cochner, we encouraged improvisation to see whether the actors could adapt to filming during a real event.

– You’re also an actress. How do you approach directing actors?

– I’ve worked on several shoots and observed different methods. ‘Nos batailles’ by Guillaume Senez had a big impact on me—we had no written dialogue, everything was improvised, but with immense precision. I learned a lot from those experiences, almost like a long observational internship. I’ve always been curious about the work of directing.

I also worked in production and as an assistant director, which gave me another perspective. All that helped me organize my short films better.

– Sound plays an essential role in the film. What can you tell us about that?

– I was lucky to be well-supported in that area. The sound technicians went out to record ambiances outside the stadiums. Then we worked on editing and sound design with Olivier Goinard. Sound was a medium to play with: from the challenge of crowd noise—which we reworked in post-production—to capturing the atmosphere of a summer in a nearly empty city. The nighttime silence, the hum of the scooter in the scene with the electrician… all of that helped tell Blandine’s emotional state.

– The film’s music was composed by Saint DX. What was that collaboration like?

– I admired his music a lot—I had seen him live—and one of my producers knew him. Aurélien (Saint DX) had never composed for film before, but he was interested. He read the script, liked it, and got involved from the start, even during shooting. We worked together from the first edit. He offered several ideas and we built a musical universe that matched Blandine’s character—always in an in-between state, suspended.

– There’s one character we haven’t mentioned yet: swimmer Béryl Gastaldello appears as a leitmotif for Blandine and punctuates the film’s narrative. How did she become part of the project?

– She was part of it from the early writing stages. I wanted Blandine to follow an athlete’s journey. While researching, Mariette told me about Béryl. I contacted her through Instagram, she agreed to meet and was very generous. She told me her story, her career, and took an interest in the project. It was very inspiring, especially because she’s one of the few swimmers who has spoken openly about mental health in sports. She talked about her fear of water, her tics. Blandine is drawn not to her medals, but to her courage and resilience.

We also found it interesting how the character accesses public figures through social media, feeling close to them without really knowing them. Béryl sent us videos from her phone, before and after her races. We adapted the shoot based on her availability and competition schedule.