Ombres de soie

Before collaborating with Éric Rohmer as an editor, Mary Stephen made her remarkable directorial debut with Ombres de soie. Set in Shanghai in 1935, the film follows Lysanne and Marlène, two women who have known each other since their school days. As their lives unfold, their bond evolves and their relationship develops into a complex quest for identity and connection.

With her sensual imagery, fragmentary narrative structure and layered sound design, Stephen creates a poetic film essay in which memories, voices and glances enter into dialogue. Inspired by Marguerite Duras’ India Song and the writings of author Eileen Chang, she explores the tension between East and West. The film challenges dogmatic notions of ethnicity and gender and demonstrates how personal relationships are shaped by broader historical forces. The recently restored film once again reveals Stephen’s unique feminist and postcolonial perspective.