The Little Prince in The Land That Passes By

Two-time world figure-skating champion, Stéphane Lambiel, is now making his mark on the gala circuit. On tour, he is accompanied by the young Carina Freire: “The idea for this documentary came about in a meeting with Stéphane Lambiel. The contrast between the sparkling brand image and the much more humble man he allowed me to see, affected me greatly. I decided to follow him, my little camera in hand, on tour through Russia and Eastern Europe, staying in the shadows of ice rinks, in the corners of hotel rooms and cars.” (CF). This intimate portrait, which reveals a certain affection between Lambiel and the director – perhaps accentuated by the strong link that unites them to Portugal, their parents’ country of origin – also shows, through the delicacy of its editing, the paradoxes created by this lifestyle. After the shows and euphoric encounters between Lambiel and his fans come solitude and indefatigable wanderings through corridors: in hotels, ice rinks, airports. What’s left is the time that passes by, inexorably, leaving bitter scars on the athlete’s body.

Emilie Bujès