Je ne me souviens de rien

“December 2010, the revolution erupted in Tunisia, my father’s country of birth. Suffering from bipolar disorder, I was then going through a manic episode, so intense that it left me almost totally amnesic.”

“December 2010: the revolution breaks out in Tunisia, my father’s country of birth. The Tunisians’ furious cries converge oddly with those that have been unleashed inside me for several weeks. Suffering from bipolar disorder, I am going through a manic episode so intense that it leaves me almost totally amnesic.” I Remember Nothing, described by its author as “a found footage film, a film of archives”, works against its title: even during the period now inaccessible to her memory, Diane Sara Bouzgarrou filmed, drew and took photos. With no shred of shame, she is compelled to give form to this material and meaning to the event – yet the reconstitution immediately smacks of voluntarism. “Bipolar, bisexual, binational”, as the filmmaker proudly defines herself during a manic episode, with a desire for ubiquity that could be disquieting. Yet, this chronicle of a bipolar person’s life does not simply offer us a self-portrait full of holes. Its most poignant moments involve the delicate role assumed by her entourage, parents or partner, who are endlessly seeking to find the right distance: “I hope you aren’t too happy!” To their loved one, who asks them to tell her what she has forgotten, they give snippets of a story whose factual modesty hides an emotional epic.