Her Way, the debut feature film from director Cecile Ducrocq, is an absorbing drama with a brilliant central performance from Laure Calamy, who shone so brightly in the excellent Call My Agent!. Here, Calamy plays Marie, a sex worker in Strasbourg with a drive to get her apathetic son (Nissam Renard) into a prestigious cookery school. He has recently been expelled from his normal school and spends his days smoking weed and avoiding responsibility. His mother is determined to raise the 9000 Euros he needs for his inaugural term. This leads her down the path of taking on more sex work, returning to a German club and a pimp, Bruno, in a bid to raise more funds.
Matters become increasingly desperate, but Hey Way never criticizes Calamy’s choice to become a sex worker. Instead, she and director Ducrocq paint a picture of an industry that needs proper legislation and worker’s rights, which Calamy’s character advocates. Prostitution will never go away, and those involved in the trade are seen as responsible, human characters struggling to make a living. Director and co-writer Ducrocq never criticizes, and Calamy’s character is an activist in her industry with a strong support group. It is the men who are often mundanely unpleasant.
The dynamic between Calamy and Renard is believable and full of angst and frustration, but also deep love, which becomes apparent as the film continues and Calamy becomes more desperate. Class struggles, the disadvantages and stigma of sex work and the confusion it causes between a mother and son are dealt with winningly with an empathetic intelligence. The ending feels a little abrupt and not quite earned; Calamy’s powerhouse performance papers over the cracks with moving aplomb. Immersive and challenging, Her Way is worth seeing for Calamy’s rounded, complex performance alone.
Dir: Cecile Ducrocq (18, 97 mins)
Her Way is out Fri 26 Aug
words KEIRON SELF