15th-century heroine Jeanne d’Arc’s story is often adapted, but never quite so eccentrically and experimentally as by Bruno Dumont. In Jeannette, Dumont already showed her youth and her heavenly calling. This sequel, again inspired by the work of Catholic poet Charles Péguy, focuses on the end of her life. After leading a French army to victory during the Hundred Years’ War, she is tried for heresy.
Dumont’s minimalist story doesn’t revolve around historical facts, but provides access to Jeanne’s mind. The French national heroine, who was 19 when she was burnt at the stake, is played by 12-year-old Lise Leplat Prudhomme, the younger of the two actresses who played the title role in Jeannette. This ups the contrast between Jeanne d’Arc’s child-like innocence and the strictness of the group of old men judging her.