Moth

Every summer, a huge swarm of moths invades the Drôme region of southeastern France. Once accidentally imported from Asia, the insects strip the boxwood bushes bare and oblige the local people to deploy or improvise whatever means they can to combat the pests.

Against this background of a looming, almost biblical plague, Roxanne Gaucherand tells a fictional story about two girls in the village. Lou has fallen in love with her childhood friend Sam. In voice-over, we hear Lou talk about her doubts and desires. We watch her making cautious approaches to Sam while her fellow villagers wait with resignation for the larvae to emerge and the great invasion to begin.

Like the moths, Lou is also fluttering, but then on the inside; and she too is attracted by bright light, but it’s that of her phone screen. She studies the delicate creatures closely, which seems to calm her down. The insects filling the air in silent nighttime streets produce disconcerting images at times. This combined with Lou and Sam’s languid, sensual romance makes Moth both ominous and sultry at the same time.