Kooky, Queer, and Pulpy: Bertrand Mandico’s ‘She Is Conann’ Comes to U.S. Theaters This Friday, February 2
Courtesy of Altered Innocence
French filmmaker Bertrand Mandico’s latest experimental epic, She is Conann, finally hits theaters in the United States this Friday, February 2. Loosely inspired by the 1982 cult classic Conan the Barbarian, She is Conann turns up the gaudy aesthetics of its source material and filters its distinctive vision through a queer, female-focused perspective.
In a sci-fi world where men hold little power, glitter snow falls from the sky, and anthropomorphic dog oracles wear leather jackets, Conann is born into a life of violence and barbarity. Losing her mother at an early age and being forced into slavery, Conann is guided by many iterations of her future self toward a life of liberation and revenge, driven by foundational experiences of brutality. Six different actors portray Conann in six epochs of her life, navigating time travel and lesbian love affairs that lead the complex protagonist everywhere from war-torn Europe during the 1940s to the Bronx in the formative years of hip-hop music.
Blood-spitting and flesh-eating, She is Conann pushes far past its source material’s fascination with violence and increases it tenfold, creating a vision both gory and campy in its visual presentation. Bypassing Conan the Barbarian’s misogynistic and fetishistic gaze, Mandico’s fantastical adaptation emphasizes the growth made and desire felt by its six interpretations of Conann, creating much richer portraits of its female characters. With a delightfully incendiary gesture, She is Conann features its scant cast of men as the corrupt politicians, bankers, and scientists of Europe, emasculated in lingerie and high heels, bathing seductively in a pool of blood.
Courtesy of Altered Innocence
First conceived as a concept for the stage, Mandico approaches She is Conann as a deranged operatic epic tale. Shot over just five weeks in an abandoned and derelict factory, the film made use of its makeshift studio to build outlandish –– borderline tasteless –– sets for the film, which contributes tremendously to its all-around bold effort. Elaborate set designs combined with the heavy use of fog machines pay homage to the 1980s sensibilities and practical effects of the original.
Full of ideas, historical iconography, and cinematic references, She is Conann continues Mandico’s infatuation with off-kilter and garish creations that push the boundaries of narrative filmmaking. Fans of queer, flipped-out reworkings of the fantasy genre will undoubtedly find much entertainment value in this maximalist, experimental work. She is Conann first premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in 2023, in the Director’s Fortnight section, before playing at other festivals around the globe. Watch the movie’s trailer below and click here to find a showtime of She is Conann near you.