In short: Marion
Posted on Mar 7, 2025 by Admin
A work of fiction rooted in reality, Marion’s titular character is the only female bull jumper in France. The film’s directors share the process behind the scenes
Words Katie Kasperson
Inspired by the real story of Caroline Noguès-Larbère – the only female bull jumper in France – Marion offers a brief glimpse into the male-centric world of la course landaise. After reading about her, directors Joe Weiland and Finn Constantine met with Noguès-Larbère and convinced her to play the titular Marion, despite her having no acting experience. “Her powerful quote, ‘I don’t face the bulls, I face the men’, became the heartbeat of the film,” explain Weiland and Constantine. “Her life, journey and this poignant statement were the driving forces behind the project.”
With executive producers Sienna Miller and Cate Blanchett by their sides, the directorial duo travelled to France and filmed in Soustons and Bayonne. Taking a ‘documentary-style approach’, the crew filmed a live bull-jumping performance with six cameras. In the film’s climactic scene, Marion is unsuccessful in her jump and the bull drags her through the dirt; this scene was entirely serendipitous and, luckily, Noguès-Larbère was unharmed. “We didn’t use a stunt double because of her existing expertise in the sport,” state Weiland and Constantine. “Caroline’s bull-jumping skills were integral to the film’s authenticity. Although acting was new to her, we wanted it to feel live and dangerous – a raw performance you can’t recreate. She embraced the opportunity with complete enthusiasm.”
While the crew was primarily English, the cast was mostly French, creating a language rift that the directors filled with ‘a unique communication dynamic, using movement and visual shorthand’. Though this occasionally made things difficult, ‘we pushed through because we knew the story was important’. They added that they ‘connected so beautifully with Caroline’ despite the language barrier.
Weiland and Constantine hired Harry Wheeler as Marion’s cinematographer, and together they discovered a visual style that blended the intensity of the action with the film’s larger emotional undercurrent; “themes of resilience, misogyny, femininity, motherhood and endurance were central to the story,” suggest Weiland and Constantine, who cite Zidane and Son of Saul as two of their sources of inspiration.
Coming in at 12-and-a-half minutes, Marion had success in the festival circuit, playing at Venice and TIFF – and picking up a BAFTA nomination in the British short film category – along the way. “The reactions from festival audiences were overwhelmingly positive, and it felt incredible to see the film resonate with people in such a meaningful way,” the directors enthuse. “We’re thrilled by the attention and recognition the global film community has given Marion.”
But this satisfaction didn’t come solely from external praise. “The most rewarding part was seeing it all come together,” state Weiland and Constantine, who spent several years on the short. While the film focuses on the fictional Marion, Noguès-Larbère is the true hero – it’s as much her story as anyone else’s.
Explore another captivating short film in this article about Rhoda.
This story appears in the February 2025 issue of Definition
