Sibyl, a psychotherapist, drops most of her patients to go back to writing novels. Then a troubled young actress named Margot becomes her new patient, and Sibyl starts using her life as material. Watch how Triet shifts between serious therapy scenes and comedy, from Paris to a volcanic island.
At a glance
Sibyl is a 2019 drama and comedy film directed by Justine Triet. This breakdown covers 4 techniques (3 narrative and 1 psychology), each with the scene where you can see it. If you like how it is made, Amadeus uses several of the same techniques.
Forcing a creator to choose between the integrity of their work and the human cost of making it. The film asks what a good piece of art is worth.
How this film uses it
Sibyl's novel draws on Margot's story, and the film asks what she owes the woman who trusted her. She is both a therapist and a writer, and the two jobs pull against each other.
Where to see it
The novel: Sibyl begins writing a novel based on Margot's story while she is still her therapist.
Building the whole plot on one character's fixation with a person, goal or rival. Every scene ties back to it, and the obsession keeps feeding itself while it destroys them.
How this film uses it
Margot becomes the center of Sibyl's attention, and almost every scene ties back to her. The obsession keeps feeding itself as Sibyl gets more involved in Margot's life.
Where to see it
Following Margot: Sibyl grows more involved in Margot's life, including her affair with the actor Igor and her pregnancy.
Cutting back and forth between 2 timelines, often past and present. Each one helps explain the other as the film goes on.
How this film uses it
Flashbacks to Sibyl's past relationships are cut into the present. Margot's stories about Igor bring those memories up, and the past helps explain the present.
Where to see it
Sibyl's past: Margot's descriptions of Igor trigger flashbacks to Sibyl's earlier relationships, including heavy drinking.
Pairing the main character with a second character who mirrors them. The double shows what the hero wants, fears or secretly is.
How this film uses it
Triet has said Sibyl and Margot are a reverse mirror, since Sibyl kept her child and Margot wants an abortion. Gabriel and Igor mirror each other as well, so each woman sees an earlier or later version of herself.
Where to see it
Pregnancy parallel: Margot's pregnancy echoes Sibyl's own troubled past with Gabriel, and Sibyl becomes drawn into Margot's decision.
Questions
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