 Pascale Ourbih is Thelma, a beautiful, 30-year-old woman who was previously a man named Louis. Since becoming a woman, Thelma can at last express her hypersensitivity. It is hard to say whether or not she puts on airs, but her mood swings are so sincere that people like her. You could say that she exaggerates, as if she wanted to convince herself that she really is a woman. But that is the way she is.
In order to make her imaginary world real, a world where her urges are the only truth, Thelma needs a man. Only a man can reassure her, tell her she made the right choice and prove to her that she is a desirable woman. That is why she does not hesitate to open up to Vincent when her lover leaves her, even if she must hide a part of the truth about herself to keep him. Thelma does not lie with premeditation, but by omission. She keeps reinventing her life, and for her, lying is as necessary as breathing.
Once she is in Greece, Thelma's past as a man reappears when she sees Eleni, the daughter she had with Fenia. At the last minute, Thelma panics and wants to run away, but Vincent encourages her to confront her past. Thelma is torn between her need to be a woman and the need to be a father to her child.
Pascale Ourbih was born in Algiers, where she started to study pharmacy. She has been living in Paris since the mid-eighties. She works for the Maryline Gautier model agency. She models for fashion shows, poses for photos and takes acting lessons. She has been a consultant in psychology for ten years, and her hobby is astrology. We got in touch with Pascale Ourbih through an AIDS prevention association where she is a volunteer.
Thelma is her first role in a film.
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