“When I’m mixing my heart beats…all my thoughts go by so fast, I don’t even remember it afterwards”.
Think back to when you were ten. Can you remember if you had an answer for grown-ups when they asked “what do you want to be when you grow up?” I think I answered news anchor from memory, as I had a strange obsession with ABC anchor Richard Morecroft. My parents paid the utmost attention to him every evening…so whatever he was up to, had to be important.
Meet ten-year-old Benoit. Benoit lives in the French countryside and dreams of becoming a professional DJ.
Shot and directed by Gabriel Dugué, as part of the empowering online series The Young Ones (thanks to NOWNESS) – we learn about what this gregarious kid is striving for. Shot gorgeously on film, we’re graced with sun-soaked shots of life on the farm – from racing bikes with his pals to enjoying tunes on his windowsill. At nightfall, Dugué takes us on a more introspective journey, as we discover how music truly makes Benoit feel. The piece honestly wouldn’t go astray in Luca Guadagnino’s ‘Call Me By Your Name’. There’s something about the joy and innocence of children that will never wear off. You can only grin from ear to ear when Benoit makes profound yet simple statements like – “Music makes people happy…I think sad people should listen to more music”.
For someone so young, Benoit has a way with words.
“In the countryside, you can hear almost nothing. You feel free…You go in the grass, you lay down, you close your eyes and you can hear the birds”.
DJ’ing is a brilliant escape from the peacefulness of rural life. When Benoit is mixing tracks, he’s expressing himself in a way far removed from his environment. There’s a certain energy in dance music, a particular colour and movement that the young Frenchman relishes in. It’s also lovely that his parents haven’t squashed his aspirations, with his father recognising that disc jockeying is a real form of employment. He only suggests his son start earning money another way, to then fund his real goal. Forever a realist, Benoit recognises he may well never become a high-flying DJ. But that’s ok. Deep down he knows that everything will work out just the way it should. “If I’m not a professional DJ, I will work in the greenhouses with mum…or figure it out later”.
A short film that can’t help but make you smile. Go get ’em, Benoit!