The Virgin of Pessac
La rosière de Pessac
1968
Synopsis
Spring 1968, Pessac. Twenty local dignitaries gather with the mayor to choose the most virtuous young woman as the “Rosière of Pessac.” The ceremony follows a strict ritual: the dowry presentation, a procession led by a brass band, the Mass, speeches, and a banquet featuring traditional songs.
Editorial
While the streets of Paris were ablaze with revolution in 1968, age-old tradition continued its respectable procession out in the provinces. We might intuit affection for some, side-eyes at others, yet Jean Eustache’s documentary democratically allows quaint pomp and circumstance to talk for itself.
