''Arlette'' is a 2022 Canadian

political satire Political satire is a type of satire that specializes in gaining entertainment from politics. Political satire can also act as a tool for advancing political arguments in conditions where political speech and dissent are banned. Political satir ...

comedy-drama film, directed by

Mariloup Wolfe Mariloup Wolfe (born 3 January 1978) is a Canadian actress and film director. She went to F.A.C.E. School, an art school in Montreal. She holds a major in Film Production from Concordia University (Quebec), Concordia University (2001) and a mino ...

. The film stars Maripier Morin. The film's cast also includes

Claudia Ferri Claudia Ferri is a Canadian-American actress. She is most noted for her performance as Anna Barberini in the 2003 film '' Mambo Italiano'', for which she was a Jutra Award nominee for Best Supporting Actress at the 6th Jutra Awards in 2004, and h ...

, Patrick Caux,

Sandrine Bisson Sandrine Bisson (born June 22, 1975, in Quebec City, Quebec) is a Canadian actress from Quebec. She won the Jutra Award for Best Supporting Actress at the 12th Jutra Awards in 2010 for her performance in ''1981'', and was a nominee in the same cat ...

Lara Fabian Lara Sophie Katy Crokaert (; born 9 January 1970), known professionally as Lara Fabian (, , ), is a Belgian, Italian and Canadian singer and songwriter. She claims to have sold over 20 million records worldwide and to be one of the List of best ...

, Alex Bisping,

Paul Ahmarani Paul Ahmarani (born 1972) is a Canadian actor. Ahmarani is known for his roles in the movies '' The Left-Hand Side of the Fridge'' (''La Moitié gauche du frigo'') and '' How My Mother Gave Birth to Me During Menopause'' (''Comment ma mère accou ...

, Alexandre Nachi,

Benoît Brière Benoît Brière (born June 20, 1965) is a Canadian actor from Quebec.Patricia Belzil"Benoît Brière" ''The Canadian Encyclopedia'', October 23, 2008. He is most noted for his performance in the film ''Seducing Doctor Lewis (La Grande séduction)'' ...

, Alexandrine Agostini, Kathleen Fortin, Pascal Cameron, Daniel Gosselin, Sophie Caron, Gabriel Dagenais and Carmen Sylvestre. The film opened theatrically in Quebec on August 5, 2022. It was also screened in France at the

Angoulême Francophone Film Festival The Angoulême Francophone Film Festival (, FFA) is an annual film festival held in Angoulême, France. It was founded by Dominique Besnehard in 2008 and has been held every year in December. It was launched as a showcase for all kind of francophon ...

on August 24.

Plot

Arlette Saint-Amour is a fashion magazine editor who is invited by the

Premier of Quebec The premier of Quebec ( (masculine) or eminine is the head of government of the Canadian province of Quebec. The current premier of Quebec is François Legault of the Coalition Avenir Québec, sworn in on October 18, 2018, following tha ...

(

Gilbert Sicotte Gilbert Sicotte, (born February 18, 1948) is a Canadian actor. Career Sicotte is known for roles in '' The Vultures (Les Vautours)'', ''Little Tougas (Ti-Cul Tougas)'', ''The Years of Dreams and Revolt (Les Années de rêves)'', '' The Secret ...

) to join the cabinet as minister of culture, despite her lack of political experience; her unconventional approach to politics reinvigorates the public's engagement with arts and culture, but places her in the crosshairs of finance minister Paul Girouard (

David La Haye David La Haye (born April 19, 1966) is a Canadian actor. Career He began his career in films in Yves Simoneau's ''Dans le ventre du dragon'' opposite such veteran stars as Rémy Girard and Pierre Curzi. With piercing eyes and an intense phy ...

), who wants to cut $100 million from her departmental budget.Isabelle Hontebeyrie
"«Arlette» : «J’aime les gens qui n’ont pas peur de se casser la gueule» - Mariloup Wolfe"
''

Le Journal de Montréal is a daily French-language tabloid newspaper published in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It has the largest circulation of any newspaper in Quebec and is also the largest French-language daily newspaper in North America. Established by Pierre Pé ...

'', July 30, 2022.

Production

Morin's casting in her first major starring role since having her career disrupted in 2020 by public accusations of verbal and sexual harassment fueled by

cocaine Cocaine is a tropane alkaloid and central nervous system stimulant, derived primarily from the leaves of two South American coca plants, ''Erythroxylum coca'' and ''Erythroxylum novogranatense, E. novogranatense'', which are cultivated a ...

addiction was controversial. Wolfe noted that the film had been in development for several years and Morin had already been cast by a previous director before the allegations became public, and stated that when she took over the project she auditioned several other actresses but felt that Morin was still the right choice.Élisabeth Lepage-Boily
"Mariloup Wolfe explique pourquoi elle a choisi Maripier Morin pour le film Arlette"
''Showbizz'', August 5, 2022. She further asserted that Morin's status as an actress trying to reestablish her career following a scandal fit in with the film's themes of an ambitious but inexperienced politician butting heads with the establishment. Many scenes in the film were shot in the real

National Assembly of Quebec The National Assembly of Quebec (, ) is the Legislature, legislative body of the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec in Canada. Legislators are called MNAs (Members of the National Assembly; ). The lieutenant governor of Que ...

.Anne-Frédérique Hébert-Dolbec
"«Arlette», un projet truffé de pièges"
''

Le Devoir (, ) is a French-language newspaper published in Montreal and distributed in Quebec and throughout Canada. It was founded by journalist and politician Henri Bourassa in 1910. is one of few independent large-circulation newspapers in Quebec ...

'', August 5, 2022.

Critical response

Anne-Frédérique Hébert-Dolbec of ''

'' rated the film two and a half stars, writing that it was difficult to separate the film from Morin's public image issues.

References

External links

* 2022 films 2022 comedy-drama films 2020s political satire films Canadian comedy-drama films Canadian political satire films Films directed by Mariloup Wolfe French-language Canadian films 2020s French-language films 2020s Canadian films Films set in Quebec City Films shot in Quebec City Films about politicians {{2020s-Canada-film-stub