Born in Vitry-sur-Seine, France, the director and erotic dancer of Franco-Chilean Tohé Commaret origin trained at the Beaux-Arts de Paris and later at Le Fresnoy – Studio national des arts contemporains. Her cinematic work spans experimental cinema and documentary, exploring visual and narrative territories where intimacy and social issues intersect. With a poetic yet committed approach, she seeks to redefine cinematic forms and examine the relationship between art, politics and society in the contemporary world. Her short film 8 screened in Berlinale Shorts in 2023.
What was your starting point for „Because of (U)“?
The starting point for this film came from a desire to experiment with a new form, like a self-contained poem, directed towards someone, and marking a moment in my life. After much reading, including works by Bell Hooks and Audre Lorde, I felt compelled to make this film for all those who are going through similar situations—subtle and silent forms of abuse that are difficult to name.
Do you have a favorite moment in the film? Which one and why this one in particular?
My favorite moment in the film is at the end, when the main character finally manages to break free from this situation.
What do you like about the short form?
The short film format is very unique because it’s highly concentrated—it tries to convey the world in a very short amount of time. For me, it’s a bit like a haiku, and I love these stripped-down forms that can hold the world within them.
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PRESS REVIEWS
„A French film of fleeting impressions and sensations, most notably a feeling of intense loneliness as our protagonist, a girl in her late teens or early 20s, navigates empty and bleak banlieues as well as her narcissistic boyfriend. This is Commaret’s follow-up to the astounding 8 (2023).“
review by Redmond Bacon for Journey into Cinema
„Suchend streift die Protagonistin durch leere Straßen, leere Gänge. Die Kamera schwebt ihr hinterher; kühle oder auch sanfte Blautöne – der Lippenstift, die Fliesen, die Strumpfhose – durchdringen wiederholt die Bilder, die den Gedanken und Reflexionen der jungen Frau folgen. In die Desillusion mischen sich Wut, Enttäuschung und Befreiung. Von inneren und äußeren Trümmern, von der verletzenden Wutrede, von schlotternden Knien.“
review by Paul Seidel for Riecks Filmkritiken
„Présenté en compétition, Because of (U) brille par une écriture minimaliste qui parvient à avoir un pouvoir particulièrement évocateur. C’est aussi le succès de son actrice Emma Gonzales-Commaret et tout ce qu’elle peut transmettre sans parler. Pour évoquer une relation toxique et la solitude de sa protagoniste, tout est dans le cadre et tout est hors du cadre à la fois dans la remarquable mise en scène de la cinéaste franco-chilienne.“
review by Nicolas Bardot & Gregory Cutout for Le Polyester
„The film plays with a documentary approach and elements of magical realism. It explores loneliness and captures the archetypes of romantic relationships, juxtaposing the small and the monumental, the familiar and the distorted, the everyday and the hallucinatory.“
mention by Curation Hour
„More straight narrative fare is on offer with […] films dealing with young women growing up in a complex society. Living Stones by Jakob Ladányi Jancso (Hungary) is an enormously powerful short about the space between healing and hurting, while Because of (U) by Tohé Commaret (France) is a subtle yet massively affecting character study of a girl left behind by the people in her life.“
mention by Laurence Boyce for Cineuropa
„Die jungen Frauen Natasa und Laura ringen in Élő kövek und Because of U hingegen mit ihrer mentalen Gesundheit, toxischen Beziehungen und sexualisierter Gewalt.“
mention by Peter Bratenstein for zeitgeschichte online
reactions on letterboxd
Berlinale Shorts 