Julia Ducournau, Palme d’Or Winner, Directs Mylène Farmer’s Bizarre New Music Video

Since her breakout in 2016, Julia Ducournau has become a prominent voice in genre cinema both in France and internationally. With just three films under her belt—Raw, Titane, and Alpha—Ducournau has carved out a niche for herself with her distinctive style: characters that are raw and emotional, a dark and visceral visual flair, and a penchant for body horror.

The filmmaker, who clinched the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival in 2021 with Titane, caught the eye of one of the music world’s most enigmatic artists, Mylène Farmer. Ducournau directs the music video for Farmer’s latest song, C’est à qui le tour, from her upcoming album, which has yet to have a release date announced.

Mylène Farmer, a Fan of Titane

This artistic pairing, highly anticipated by the singer’s fans, feels inevitable. First, because both women share a lot of common ground, especially their flair for transgression—neither Mylène Farmer nor Julia Ducournau has ever shied away from challenging their audience’s sensibilities.

Moreover, Mylène Farmer was a member of the jury at the Cannes Film Festival when Ducournau was awarded five years ago. During a press conference, the pop star openly expressed her admiration for Titane, a provocative thriller that famously caused several viewers to faint during its official screening, necessitating the intervention of paramedics.

Explore the music video:

In this over-five-minute video, Ducournau portrays a youth club scene where all embraces and kisses are blurred as if censored by a new wave of puritanism. The entrance of Mylène Farmer among the crowd and her performance on stage shatters all these barriers to freely loving and existing.

Fans of the singer will spot numerous nods to her career and her massive past hits, including an appearance by Mylène Farmer as she looked during her “Libertine” era. Art aficionados will also notice several artistic inspirations drawn from painters like René Magritte and Francis Bacon.

This isn’t the first time Mylène Farmer has collaborated with acclaimed filmmakers for her music videos or songs. She has previously worked with Abel Ferrara, Pascal Laugier, and even David Lynch, who remixed one of her songs, Je te rends ton amour.