Words, rehearsals and the camera

From a remembered Racine monologue to the carefully prepared images of Plaisir fantôme, Polina’s acting story also involves reading, rehearsal and the physical work of creating a scene.

Keeping Hermione close

Racine’s Andromaque holds a particular place in Polina’s relationship with theatre. In 2025, she named Hermione as a favourite heroine and said she continued repeating the character’s monologue. Her memory of the text shows how a school-era discovery remained part of her adult creative life.

At Cours Florent, she encountered Sarah Kane and Samuel Beckett through a teacher she remembered with gratitude. She described theatre as a way of giving meaning to difficult emotions and intense happiness. The appeal was both literary and personal.

Preparing a character before filming

Morgan Simon recalled reading sessions and rehearsals with Polina before Plaisir fantôme began filming. Their preparation extended beyond dialogue: she trained in a pool wearing the mermaid tail required for the final sequence. Costume designer Rachèle Raoult made the tail specifically for the production.

Casting director Marlène Serour found Élise Havelange to play Jeanne’s daughter. Simon remembered viewers believing the screen relationship was a real family connection. He explicitly clarified that it was acting, a response to the preparation and casting rather than a detail of Polina’s private life.

Building the film’s visual world

Simon and cinematographer Paul Guilhaume planned the film’s images together. They chose 35 mm for warmth, colour and grain, seeking a carefully composed frame around the protagonist. The decision shaped how Jeanne’s working world and moments of distance would appear on screen.

Their references included Larry Sultan’s photography and David Hockney’s paintings, particularly for pool settings and warm colours. These choices sit behind the film’s atmospheric stills: a designed visual world in which light, costume and framing help tell a fictional story.