The film “Simone, the trip of the century” is a biographical film on the bouncing life of

Simone Veil directed by Olivier Dahan who was able to retrace the extraordinary destiny of
this Holocaust survivor who became Minister of Health, President of the European
Parliament and even a symbol of the fight against discrimination of women in France. This
film was made in France by the production company Marvelous Production and was released
to the general public on October 12, 2021 and will then receive César for best sets and best
costumes. Olivier Dahan is a French director. He is mainly known for his biographical films
such as “la mome” which is a biography of Edith Piaf, or “Grace of Monaco” which is a
fictionalized adaptation of the life of Grace Kelly. One of the motivations for creating this film
is that he wanted to make a trilogy with three portraits of women including an artist, an
actress and a politician. Thus, the film traces the life of Simone Veil from her childhood in
Nice to the twilight of her life, including her European commitment. We find Simone as a
deported teenager, married, mother, friend and as a French stateswoman. In order to
represent her in the different moments of her life, several roles were distributed. Rebecca
Marder played the role of Simone when she still went by her maiden name "Jacob" from the
age of 12 until she was 37, and Elsa Zylberstein played the role of Simone from her
adulthood until her death. The film was shot in locations such as La Ciotat, Paris and also
Budapest. As a result, the film immerses us in sumptuous settings with a storyline that leaves
room for a lot of emotions.

I will now tell you about her life by explaining the film to you. In 1927 she was born in sunny
Nice into a non-practicing Jewish family and lived a peaceful childhood alongside her two
sisters and her brother. She was arrested at 16 during a street check, the day after her
baccalaureate exams. She was subsequently deported with her sister and her mother to the
Auschwitz camp, which would remain a painful and cold memory, where she would take her
grandchildren. All three narrowly avoided extermination by being transferred together to an
annex of the camp. Unfortunately her mother did not survive and died of typhus in March
1945. Subsequently, the three sisters found freedom in 1945 and returned from the camps
without their parents or their brother. In 1946, back in Paris, she enrolled at Science Po, and
married Antoine Veil, a future entrepreneur, politician and senior French civil servant, thus
changing her name to Simone Veil. She subsequently joined the judiciary and became
Minister of Health under the government of Valérie Giscard d'Estaing. Her career then took a
turning point in 1975 when she passed the law decriminalizing voluntary termination of
pregnancy. Simone Veil thus becomes the symbol of the fight for women's rights in France.
On a personal level, she tragically lost her sister in a car accident and she became the
mother of three childrens. Subsequently, she became president of the European Parliament
in 1979 and finally she sat on the Constitutional Council until 2007 before being elected to
the French Academy in 2008. In 2018, on the decision of Emmanuel Macron, she will make
her entry at the Pantheon with her husband.

Through this film, several themes are addressed such as the Second World War. Through
Simone, the film highlights the innocence of individuals when they arrive in deportation
camps after spending a long journey standing on a train. The film also shows the humiliation
and cruelty that the deportees received and the lack of hygiene and privacy. Beyond the
impeccable and poignant reproduction of this genocide, this experience had a major impact
on the life of Simone Veil, forging her determination to defend fundamental rights, historical
memory and justice. Her survival and subsequent engagement in politics reflect
extraordinary resilience in the face of the horror of war, and she devoted a significant part of
her career to promoting peace, tolerance and understanding between peoples. Thus, his
connection to World War II not only shaped her personal life, but also influenced her
commitment to justice and human rights throughout her public career. Furthermore, Simone
Veil's life is closely linked to feminism, in particular through her unwavering commitment to
women's rights. Indeed, his political career is marked by significant progress for gender
equality. As Minister of Health in 1974, she played a key role in the legalization of abortion in
France, known as the "Veil law". This courageous act was a crucial step in the recognition of
women's reproductive rights. In addition to her legislative achievements, Simone Veil
managed to break gender barriers by becoming the first woman to be elected President of
the European Parliament. Through this film we understand how and why Simone Veil is
recognized for her integrity, her humanism and her significant impact in the promotion of
fundamental rights and equality.

Finally, I chose this film for several reasons. First of all, Olivier Dahan offers us a trip of the
great lady of state that was Simone Veil. Entering his personal or political life while being
immersed alongside in the death camps as well as in the biggest debates of his political life is
spectacular. The acting of the actors and the numerous set-ups allow the viewer to immerse
themselves and feel alongside what Simone Veil experienced. Finally, I also chose this film
because the many themes present in it are still relevant today, such as women's rights or
racism and gender equality.