– BERLINALE 2026: Manon Coubia presents her first feature film, a portrait of a place in three stories, or three portraits of women in search of solitude
Salomé Richard and Arthur Marbaix in Forest High
Known for her short films that blur the cinematic line between documentary and fiction, Manon Coubia presents the world premiere of her first feature film, Forest High, at the 76th Berlinale in the Perspectives section. The Brussels-based filmmaker has previously distinguished herself with short films such as The Fullness of Time, which won the Golden Leopard in the Pardo di Domani section at Locarno in 2016, Children Leave At Dawn, selected for Critics’ Week at Cannes in 2017, and Full Night, unveiled at Locarno in 2023. With High Forest, she continues her exploration of border areas, immersing three actresses in a mountain refuge, where they become, for the duration of the shoot, its guardians.
Anna (Salomé Richard) grew up in the mountains and knows their slopes by heart. She has looked after this refuge more than once. But she hopes that this season will be her last. Seemingly oblivious to her surroundings, she dreams of other places, tries to fly away with a birdwatcher (Arthur Marbaix), and welcomes climbers with her head in the clouds. With summer comes Hélène (Aurélie Petit), in her fifties, who seems to have been a seasonal worker all her life. The refuge is always full, with families following groups of friends, and Hélène has no time to procrastinate, especially as the weather is unpredictable. Constantly in demand, she can only rely on her sleepless nights to let herself be tamed by the forest. Suzanne (Anne Coesens) finally moves into the chalet at the beginning of winter. The place is deserted, and she finds peace and quiet, conducive to hearing the invisible worlds. She has left her former life behind and is treating herself to the luxury of chosen solitude. Against all odds, however, her path will cross that of a young soldier (Yoann Zimmer) in search of his ancestors.
The mode of production of Forest High is integral to both its ethics and its aesthetics. Funded through the lightweight/smaller productions Support Fund of the Cinema and Audiovisual Centre of the Wallonia-Brussels Federation, the shoot was able to unfold with considerable freedom, embracing the long rhythm of the seasons, the artisanal and collaborative approach of a small, close-knit crew, and the urgency and magic of shooting on film. The actresses, striking in their naturalness, merge all the more with their roles as they are – on screen as in life – the guardians of a refuge, engaging with it as much as with their fellow performers or the walkers who pass by the chalet. The house, like the mountain, becomes an active presence within the narrative. Each relates differently to the actresses, a relationship expressed through choices of mise-en-scène, lighting, and framing. The sound design, moreover, gives prominence to their murmurs and breathing. Anna, Hélène and Suzanne are three solitary women within the multitude – among people or among living beings, depending on the season. The living, and perhaps the dead as well. The film, as if under the guardianship of a vanished bird, the capercaillie, also summons all the life that has inhabited the place, today as in other eras. The long passage of the seasons, unfolding in the sky and across the land, inscribes itself within a cyclical temporality that transcends eras. As for Anna, Hélène and Suzanne, their choice of solitude is above all a form of freedom; like a thread, it connects them and weaves a dialogue between their three stories.
Forest High was produced by The Blue Raincoat (Belgium) and co-produced by Aurora Films (France). International sales are handled by Rai Cinema International Distribution.
(Translated from French)
