Augustine (2013) Characters, Setting & Themes Explained

The film is set primarily in a late-19th-century psychiatric hospital and sanatorium where neurological patients are observed for medical research. The story also moves to Bordeaux for a medical conference, reflecting the era's culture of professional demonstrations and funding hunts. The clinical environment serves a dual purpose as both a medical facility and a spectacle for doctors.

• hospital setting
• sanatorium
• Bordeaux
• psychiatric ward
• medical setting

Augustine is set in the late 19th century, during a period of rapid progress in neurology and hypnosis. This era was characterized by doctors using public demonstrations to attract funding and advance controversial theories about the female body. The atmosphere blends medical rigor with theatrical research, reflecting the era's boundaries between science and spectacle.

• late 19th century
• 1800s
• historical setting
• neurology era
• hypnosis history

The film explores three interconnected themes: ethics in medical research, confinement and institutional power, and female agency. The narrative examines how scientific prestige can override patient welfare, the power dynamics between physician and patient, and how the female body was constructed and controlled by male-dominated medicine. These themes intertwine through Augustine's journey from patient to escapee.

• medical ethics
• female agency
• confinement
• power dynamics
• institutional control

The film centers on the ethical tension of turning a patient into a test subject for funding and scientific advancement. Augustine's consent is compromised by the prestige and ambition of Dr. Charcot, raising questions about autonomy and exploitation in medical research. The story exposes how scientific achievement can trump individual welfare, showing the morally dubious dynamic between the doctor and his patient.

• medical ethics
• patient consent
• exploitation
• doctor patient relationship
• scientific ambition

The film interrogates how the female body was constructed and pathologized by male-dominated medicine. Augustine's menstruation and sexual undertones challenge the doctors' clinical gaze and demand recognition of her agency. Her final escape reframes the narrative from medical triumph to a reclaiming of autonomy, showing her resistance against objectification.

• female agency
• hysteria
• female body
• medical objectification
• autonomy

Augustine is kept within the hospital's walls, effectively imprisoned as a living tool for observation. Dr. Charcot's control over her room, meals, and treatment highlights the power dynamics between physician and patient. Her escape attempt becomes a bid for personal sovereignty against institutional confinement, representing her fight for freedom and self-determination.

• confinement
• institutional power
• hospital imprisonment
• patient autonomy
• escape

Augustine is a young kitchen maid who experiences sudden paralysis and seizures, becoming the subject of Dr. Charcot's neurological experiments. She endures hypnotic inductions and public demonstrations while confined in a psychiatric hospital. Throughout the film, she longs for freedom and control over her own body, showing both vulnerability and resilience within a coercive medical setting.

• Augustine
• kitchen maid
• patient
• hysteria
• Charcot's patient

Jean-Martin Charcot is a renowned neurologist who uses Augustine's case to push his theories about hysteria and secure funding for his research. He is both fascinated and possessive of his patient, often crossing professional boundaries in his observations. His ambitions drive the research forward, creating a controversial and morally dubious dynamic with Augustine.

• Jean-Martin Charcot
• neurologist
• doctor
• hysteria research
• Vincent Lindon

The film depicts a claustrophobic clinical environment that doubles as a spectacle for fellow doctors. The psychiatric hospital serves as both a medical facility and a stage for public demonstrations of neurological conditions. This setting creates an unsettling atmosphere where patients become exhibits, blending medical advancement with theatrical performance.

• psychiatric hospital
• clinical environment
• medical demonstration
• voyeuristic setting