The vivid, stylish cinematography of Canadian-French DP Josee Deshaies is the subject of today's installment in my July tribute series to cinema's most underrated and under-appreciated cinematographers. Deshaies is known to most as the frequent DP of choice for Bertrand Bonello, and has provided the sumptuous lensing for 12 of his titles to date. Over more than two decades in cinema, she's also collaborated with directors Mathieu Amalric, Denis Cote and Suwa Nobuhiro, lending them all her bold and supple eye for striking imagery. Tellingly, she's also a cinematographer's cinematographer, having worked on Andre Turpin's Endorphine.
Deshaies is as accomplished capturing the cool hostility of modern, utilitarian urban spaces as she is capturing the oil lamp-lit glow of a period piece, or the soothing, stunning vastness of the natural world. Working with innovative directors on boundary-pushing projects, she's been front and centre of some of the most provocative films of the century so far, her vibrant compositions integral to their power. Though she sadly has nothing on the slate for release this year - who does?! - next year her work is set to return to the screen in Alex Carvalho's drama La Salamandre. Until then, check out the specially curated montage of Deshaies' best work above.
Films featured
The Pornographer, 2001
Tiresia, 2003
On War, 2008
House of Tolerance, 2011
Saint Laurent, 2014
Lamb, 2015
Spectographies, 2015