Horrible Creature
DOP: Will Humphris
Mchelle Boule and Céline Larrère performing at Prangins Hospital, Switzerland.
Description:
In 1915, James Joyce and Nora Barnacle traveled with their young children Giorgio and Lucia to Switzerland to escape the turmoil of World War I. Lucia later trained as a dancer and performed throughout Europe, until her career ended suddenly in the early 1930s. She was forced into psychiatric care and underwent experimental treatments at various hospitals across Europe.
Horrible Creature is the second in a proposed trilogy of films directed by Áine Stapleton (dance and film artist) and is filmed at locations
in Switzerland where Lucia spent time. The first, Medicated Milk, challenged the accepted biography of Lucia’s life and considered the complexity of mental instability.
Here, Lucia’s own writing, interpreted by a cast of international dance artists, conjures her world between 1915 and 1950. The film fearlessly explores her difficult family life, her unproven illness, and her undoubted talent.
Screenings include:
The Irish Film Institute, Dublin, Ireland
Riffraff Kino, Zurich, Switzerland
The Council of Europe in Strasbourg as part of Ireland’s Presidency of the Council of Europe (2022)
Kinoteka Belgrade as part of Belgrade Irish Festival (2023)
Credits:
Writer and Director: Áine Stapleton.
Cinematography: Will Humphris.
Choreography: Scored by Áine Stapleton. Adapted and formed in collaboration with the performers.
Performers: Michelle Boulé, Céline Larrère, and Sarah Ryan.
Original soundtrack: Ed Chivers and David Best (Fujiya & Miyagi).
Voice recordings: Rebecca Warner and Aenne Barr.
Editing: José Miguel Jiménez.
Producer and Locations Manager: Áine Stapleton
Costumes: Ivan Moreno Bonica.
Sound mixing: Kev Gleeson.
Running time: 65 min.
Funded by The Arts Council | An Chomhairle Ealaíon. Supported by The Irish Embassy in Bern, Ticino Film Commission, SAPA Switzerland, Dance Ireland, Fringe Lab at Dublin Fringe, Arts and Disability Ireland, and The James Joyce Centre Dublin.