In this incisive short film, young mum (Nathalie Baye) hastily leaves her baby with the neighbour to go to an audition for a TV advert in which she must play a “very sexy” character…

In five minutes, Coline Serreau cap­tures with irony and acuity the contra­dictions, between maternal responsibili­ties, societal expectations and strict rules around seduction, imposed on women. Made right at the start of her career, this film bears early witness to the feminist commitment of the filmmaker who was closely involved with women’s liberation movements.

The film was produced by French public television for a programme called F comme Femme, broadcast on An­tenne2. At that time, French public television was especially open to exper­imentation in theme and format. Le Rendez-vous comes from a time when a new generation was buying into the small screen to examine societal norms with fresh eyes; analytical, while deep­ly anchored in everyday life. Two other short films, one by Agnès Varda (later known as Réponse de femmes), the other by Nina Companeez, reflected the ethos of the series.

Nathanaël Arnould