NOUREEV

Returning from his first visit to Russia since his famous leap towards liberty, Rudolf Nureyev confides the reasons for his profound depression to a psychoanalyst, thus marking the initiation of a somewhat unorthodox treatment. A journey into the life story of this living legend, but also a confrontation during which games of power and fascination will play out between the two men. But who will really lead the dance?

Tristan Feller, a Parisian psychoanalyst, is reputed to have received a great number of celebrities from the world of performance or of literature at his consulting room. Wiser for these years of practice, he enjoys this reversal of the situation in which these personalities, inaccessible idols, strip themselves of their suits of light to become, through psychoanalytic transfer, once again trembling children who have come to place their destiny in his hands. One encounter with an uncommon patient will nonetheless upset his habitual analytic behavior and bring him, against his will, to experience his practice in a different light. At the origin of this upheaval is a simple phone call from the majordomo of the famous dancer, Rudolf Nureyev, requesting on the part of the artist an appointment as soon as possible. Intrigued by this to say the least unusual approach, the psychoanalyst surprises himself by accepting what will constitute the first in a long series of instances in which he will bend his own principles. In fact, the aura of this singular individual imposes such a specific color upon the therapeutic relationship that Feller rapidly finds himself destabilized by his encounter with the star. Upon his return from his first visit to Russia since his famous leap towards liberty, Nureyev is extremely depressed and confides in Feller, explaining the reason why and thus marking the beginning of a treatment that is scarcely orthodox. What ensues is a journey into the life history of this living legend as well as a confrontation during which games of power and fascination will play out between the world famous artist and the experienced practitioner. Which one will actually lead the dance and become the analyst of the other? Philippe Grimbert is a psychoanalyst, writer, and essayist. His novels, Un secret (Grasset, 2004) – Prix Wiso and Grand Prix des lectrices de Elle), La Mauvaise Rencontre (Grasset, 2009), and Un garçon singulier (Grasset, 2011) have met with popular and critical success. He is also the author of several essays, including Psychanalyse de la chanson, Pas de fumée sans Freud and Chantons sous la psy.