''Jacky in Women's Kingdom'' (french: Jacky au royaume des filles) is a 2014 French

comedy film A comedy film is a category of film which emphasizes humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through amusement. Films in this style traditionally have a happy ending (black comedy being an exception). Comedy is one of the ol ...

directed by

Riad Sattouf Riad Sattouf ( ar, رياض سطوف; born 5 May 1978) is a French cartoonist, comic artist, and film director. Sattouf is best known for his award-winning graphic memoir hexalogy '' L'Arabe du futur'' (''The Arab of the Future'') and for his awa ...

and starring Vincent Lacoste,

Charlotte Gainsbourg Charlotte Lucy Gainsbourg (; born 21 July 1971) is a British-French actress and singer. She is the daughter of English actress Jane Birkin and French musician Serge Gainsbourg. After making her musical debut with her father on the song " Lemo ...

and

Didier Bourdon Didier Bourdon (; born 23 January 1959) is a French actor, screenwriter and film director. He first reached stardom in France when he created the comedic trio Les Inconnus with Bernard Campan and Pascal Légitimus, which was very popular thro ...

Plot

Bubunne (or Bubunia) is a matriarchal

totalitarian Totalitarianism is a form of government and a political system that prohibits all opposition parties, outlaws individual and group opposition to the state and its claims, and exercises an extremely high if not complete degree of control and reg ...

country led by the ruthless La Générale (Generaless). In Bubun, the roles of men and women are reversed, up to the point where the male population is deprived of any civil rights, including work, education, military service, freedom of marriage etc. People worship The White Horses (making horses sacred animals) and the only source of nourishment is "paste" (tasteless viscous liquid delivered from waterpipe-like sinks). The country is isolated from the rest of the world, borders are guarded by armed squads, and public executions are in order (the condemned being mostly men). Jacky is an over-popular handsome young man, who lives in poverty with his widow mother, and crushes on La Colonelle (Coloness), the Generaless's daughter and the future leader of the state. Jacky is also one of the few boys with at least some education: his paternal uncle Julin (Michel Hazanavicius) -

gigolo A gigolo () is a male escort or social companion who is supported by a person in a continuing relationship, often living in her residence or having to be present at her beck and call. The term ''gigolo'' usually implies a man who adopts a lifes ...

and contrabandist, also a

masculism Masculism or masculinism may variously refer to ideologies and socio-political movements that seek to eliminate sexism against men, equalize their rights with women, and increase adherence to or promotion of attributes regarded as typical of men ...

revolutionist - teaches the nephew literacy. Jacky's maternal aunt, with two husbands, is quite rich and her two sons constantly bully Jacky for being so poor. Generaless proclaims a grand ball, at which the Lead Rider (the current leader's husband) will be chosen for her daughter as she succeeds to become ruler of Bubun. Jacky's mother cannot afford a ticket to the ball, and Jacky desperately tries to make Julin give up the "treasure" left by Jacky's father. Jacky reports Julin to the police, yet unexpectedly authorities find Julin guilty of treason (printing illegal pamphlets) and incarcerate him for subsequent hanging. Sheriffess, grateful to Jacky for informing her, leaves him a free ticket to the ball. After Jacky's mother dies (ironically, due to Jacky's own actions; sleepless because of the ball preparations, he cleaned her boots so well that she slipped), his aunt takes him in, but refuses to let him come to the ball. At this point, Jacky flees the village, only to be caught by Sherifess and immediately rescued by Julin (who escaped imprisonment by " riding wardens until they were knocked out"). Together, they manage to get to the palace. While Julin intends to sell his stash of

vegetables Vegetables are parts of plants that are consumed by humans or other animals as food. The original meaning is still commonly used and is applied to plants collectively to refer to all edible plant matter, including the flowers, fruits, stems ...

and get money for crossing the border, Jacky wants to get to the ceremony and confess his love to Coloness. During the ball, Coloness invites Jacky (disguised as a female officer) to her quarters and tells him that she does not want to be the new Generaless, and tries to seduce him (believing Jacky to be a woman). The Generaless, however, interrupts them, as she has already chosen the Lead Rider for her daughter. Jacky's cover is blown when his relatives recognize him, and he finally tells the Coloness he loves her, revealing himself to be a man. When Generaless orders Jacky to be caught and killed, he ventures deeper into the palace, discovering that "paste" is actually processed and enriched feces (as the Generaless's adjutant puts it, "the poor eat their own shit and are happy"). To reveal the truth, Jacky overloads the main cauldron, making the country realize what their food is made of. Hiding under the Coloness's bed, Jacky convinces her of his love and spends a night with her, stating that he will love her regardless of who she is. In the morning, she shows him a crowd of men outside the palace: the entire country believes Jacky to be a hero (not without Julin's provocation). Jacky is then captured and sentenced to death, yet Generaless offers him a deal: life and marriage to her daughter in exchange for his cooperation in preventing rebellion. When he agrees, she tries to cut off his tongue (stating that Jacky "has seen too much"), but is immediately strangled to death by Coloness. Together, the two open the borders of Bubun, establish

democracy Democracy (From grc, δημοκρατία, dēmokratía, ''dēmos'' 'people' and ''kratos'' 'rule') is a form of government in which people, the people have the authority to deliberate and decide legislation ("direct democracy"), or to choo ...

and introduce

emancipation Emancipation generally means to free a person from a previous restraint or legal disability. More broadly, it is also used for efforts to procure economic and social rights, political rights or equality, often for a specifically disenfranch ...

, as well as restore the country's

agriculture Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled people t ...

. In the last scene, when Coloness and Jacky are about to officially marry, they announce that Bubunia wants "no more secrets from its people" and strip naked in front of the crowd, revealing that Coloness is actually a man, and that they, in fact, just entered

gay marriage Same-sex marriage, also known as gay marriage, is the marriage of two people of the same sex or gender. marriage between same-sex couples is legally performed and recognized in 33 countries, with the most recent being Mexico, constituting ...

(since Generaless had no daughters despite years of trying, she wanted her last child to become the state leader despite being male). The film ends with a woman from the crowd yelling " Blasphemy!"

Cast

* Vincent Lacoste as Jacky *

as The female colonel *

as Brunu *

Anémone Anne Bourguignon (; 9 August 1950 – 30 April 2019), known professionally as Anémone (), was a French actress, filmmaker and political activist. She took her stage name in 1968 from the title of her film debut in Philippe Garrel's ''Anémone' ...

as The female general * Valérie Bonneton as The sheriff *

Michel Hazanavicius Michel Hazanavicius ( lt, Hazanavičius; born 29 March 1967) is a French film director, screenwriter, editor, and producer. He is best known for his 2011 film, '' The Artist'', which won the Academy Award for Best Picture at the 84th Academy Aw ...

as Julin *

Noémie Lvovsky Noémie Lvovsky (; born 14 December 1964) is a French film director, screenwriter, and actress. Life and career Born in Paris in 1964, Lvovsky is the daughter of Jewish parents who emigrated from Ukraine to flee pogroms. She studied cinema at L ...

as Tata *

as Mit Kronk *

Valeria Golino Valeria Golino (born 22 October 1965) is an Italian actress and film director. She is best known to English-language audiences for her roles in '' Rain Man'', ''Big Top Pee-wee'' and the two '' Hot Shots!'' films, particularly the olive-in-the-be ...

as Bradi Vune * India Hair as Corune * William Lebghil as Vergio *

Laure Marsac Laure Marsac (born 18 February 1970) is a French actress. She has appeared in more than fifty films since 1984. Filmography References External links * Actresses from Paris 1970 births Living people French film actresses Most P ...

as Jacky's mother *

Emmanuelle Devos Emmanuelle Devos (born 10 May 1964) is a French actress. She is the daughter of actress Marie Henriau. She won the César Award for Best Actress in 2002 for her performance in ''Sur mes lèvres'', directed by Jacques Audiard. She has also bee ...

as The female presenter

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Jacky in Women's Kingdom 2014 films 2010s French-language films 2014 comedy films French comedy films Films directed by Riad Sattouf French feminist films 2010s feminist films 2010s French films