Mat and Her Mates

A favorite of the Visions du Réel team, to whom we entrusted a carte blanche for the 10th edition of Plein(s) Écran(s), Mat and Her Mates is a vivid and deeply intimate portrait of a young woman and her questioning of love, sex, and her relationship to herself. Uninhibited and direct, yet imbued with great humanity, the film inspired this special program dedicated entirely to women.

From the very first images, Pauline Pénichout establishes an atmosphere of gentleness, care, and sisterhood, offering a rare and soothing vision of the world of women. Shot in a squat in Nantes, the film follows a group of young women who come together to share their experiences, desires, and knowledge during a self-gynecology workshop. This collective gesture responds to a shared desire to reclaim the female body in the face of a largely androcentric approach to sexual education that renders women’s experiences invisible. With tenderness and without false modesty, the filmmaker explores the relationship to the body, to the group, and to intimacy, offering a perspective freed from the male gaze. Each body is shown in its singularity, each voice welcomed in its complexity, reminding us that self-knowledge is a strength and a powerful lever for emancipation. A graduation film from La Fémis, Mat and Her Mates creates a warm and inviting space, both in form and in intent. It celebrates mutual support, transmission, and the freedom to exist outside imposed frameworks.

Ariane Roy-Poirier
General Manager and Artistic Director
Plein(s) Écran(s)