Educational Media Reviews Online

Marianne, the national icon of the French republic, stands for liberty, equality, fraternity and reason. “Laiticité” is the principle of secularism in France and is codified in the French constitution to reflect the separation of church and state. Marianne is a film that interviews many women about their relationship with Islam and how the concept of laiticité has affected their life in public while living in France.

The bulk of the film is composed of interviews with many women talking about their beliefs and what Islam means to them. The women range from growing up in families that practice Islam, families that are Muslim but don’t practice and a couple of women who converted to Islam either through marriage or personal choice. Interspersed with the interviews are news clips about the ongoing controversy of the 2011 law that made it illegal to hide a woman’s face in public.

The highlight of the film is the exploration of the breadth and variety of Muslim women in France and does not show just one stereotype. The interviewees question why it’s ok for women to be practically naked in public or for certain groups like the Goths to be all covered up but not for them to wear coverings. As one Muslim woman said, “the anti-hijab movement is another version of men trying to control our bodies”.

This film is recommended for courses in Religion, French culture, sociology, and women/gender studies. Even though there are too many women interviewed and several threads that are not followed through, it is an introduction to a broad range of the women’s relationship with Islam, their experience of being Muslim in France and their decision about whether to cover their body or not.

While this film is recommended for purchase, libraries should not buy this film based solely on the description as it is misleading. No where in the film does it show any of the women challenging the ban on coverings.

Awards:
Award Winner, Imagine This Women’s Film Festival 2022; Honorable Mention, Voices Rising Film Festival 2023

Published and licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. Anyone can use these reviews, so long as they comply with the terms of the license.