Podcast: victim of sexual assault, Julie testifies in « Kintsugi, the story of my reconstruction » – Elle

Published on May 21, 2022 at 10:45 a.m.

It is to Nina that Julie tells for the first time what happened to her. At the time, she was 16 and confided in her best friend about the sexual assaults she suffered as a child. Ten years later, it’s the same process. Julie still confides in her best friend, but now Nina is recording.

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For seven episodes, Julie recounts her journey towards her reconstruction, « her Kintsugi ». A symbol of resilience in reference to the ancient Japanese art of repairing broken porcelain and ceramics, which consists of highlighting the cracks with gold instead of hiding them.

Nina Pareja works for Slate. Directed by Aurélie Rodrigues under the direction of Christophe Carron and Benjamin Hours, « Kintsugi, the story of my reconstruction » follows Julie’s journey for three years, a journey as poignant as it is unexpected.

SHE. How did the idea for the podcast come about?

Nina Pareja. A little over three years ago, during one of those discussions that we have almost all the time, Julie said to me: « Listen, I want us to do something, I I want to file a complaint. I didn’t necessarily have a very precise idea of ​​what we could do. I went to see Slate telling them that I wanted to tell Julie’s story but that I had no idea what I was going to give back to them at the end. Christophe Carron – the editorial director of Slate – told me: “You do everything you would have done with her naturally except that you put a microphone. »

SHE. During these three years, did you record all your moments with Julie, all her doubts, her reflections?

NP. No, I did not record each of our conversations. It happened to me to tell him that I would have liked us to meet to discuss such and such a subject, we saw each other and I recorded. Other times, we discussed as two friends can discuss, without microphone, then the subject came on the table, she wanted to talk about it. Sometimes I took out my microphone, sometimes I wrote it down so that we could discuss it next time! Julie filed a complaint at the end of 2019, which she recounts in episode 2, and that’s when the investigation really began. We called experts, we went to see a shrink.

SHE. Why did you specifically choose Julie’s testimony when there are many other victims of sexual assault?

NP. The idea was to start with Julie and zoom out, to tell the little story to talk about the big one. The intimate is a good way to touch people. And I could only have that subject because we are friends. We are in a very strong relationship, we communicate a lot. But, obviously, I wondered if it was necessary to collect other testimonies. Then I spent the whole first confinement listening to everything I had recorded until then and I said to myself: « I’ve had this in my ears for two months all day and I haven’t gotten tired of it. . It’s so strong what she says.

SHE. What role did Julie have in the production?

NP. She gave me carte blanche. It’s a huge mark of confidence. But that didn’t stop me from keeping her informed of everything I was doing. For example, when we met with experts, I warned her of the questions I was going to ask. During the writing phase, I read him what I was going to tell, how I was going to build the podcast. I told her she had full veto, that she could edit or delete whatever she wanted. She never did.

SHE. What do you think of the evolution of freedom of speech in France?

NP. The liberation of speech has taken place but we must go much further. It is essential that we learn to better protect children and that we treat adults, culprits or victims. Today, for me, sexual violence is an unaddressed public health catastrophe.