La voix humaine Poulenc
Archived: 2020/2021Overview
A woman is getting ready for an intimate Zoom party at her studio flat in Oxford….
While her guests are waiting for the party to begin, the woman is on the phone to her lover who has just ended their relationship. As her devastation unfolds, the despair builds into a shattering climax.
This new digital film of David Pountney’s 2016 production takes a 20th century opera classic and creates an intense, captivating experience of opera in isolation.
Contains strong language and themes that some viewers may find upsetting.
Good to know
Available to stream for 6 months from 25 October 2020.
English translation by Richard Stokes.
Facts
Filmed with live singing and piano accompaniment on location in Oxford on 8 and 9 September 2020, under appropriate social distancing restrictions.
Synopsis
L is in her apartment and appears to be getting ready for a party. She is distracted by a couple of phone calls before finally receiving a call from the one person she wanted to talk to - her ex.
She tells him about her weekend, shopping and having dinner with a friend, but it soon becomes clear that she’s lying. The couple discuss their past relationship, and L blames herself for their problems. As the call drops in and out of signal, she becomes frantic. The call cuts off, so L calls his landline and discovers that he is not at home.
When he calls her back, she reveals that instead of going out the previous night she took twelve sleeping pills. L hears noise in the background of the call and becomes suspicious. As she tries to explain how she is feeling it becomes clear that he no longer cares. Telling him she loves him over and over, she decides to take more extreme measures.