historical
History is the systematic study of the past, focusing primarily on the human past. As an academic discipline, it analyses and interprets evidence to construct narratives about what happened and explain why it happened. Some theorists categ ...
drama
Drama is the specific Mode (literature), mode of fiction Mimesis, represented in performance: a Play (theatre), play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on Radio drama, radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a g ...
film directed by
Stéphanie Di Giusto
Stéphanie Di Giusto (also known by her former pseudonym "Paf le chien") is a French film director, photographer and art director.
Life and career
After her studies at the École nationale supérieure des arts décoratifs and ESAG Penninghen in ...
from a screenplay by Di Giusto and Sandrine Le Coustumer, based on a treatment by Le Coustumer and Alexandra Echkenazi. The film stars Nadia Tereszkiewicz and
Benoît Magimel
Benoît Magimel (; born 11 May 1974) is a French actor. He was 14 when he appeared in his first film, and has starred in a variety of roles in French cinema. At age 16, Magimel left school to pursue acting as a career. In 2001, he won the Best A ...
. It is loosely inspired by the life of
Clémentine Delait
Clémentine Delait (5 March 1865 – 5 April 1939) was a French bearded lady who kept a café. She has been described by contemporaries as "the most illustrious and celebrated bearded lady in France" and "the perfect example of a bearded lady".
...
, a famous French
bearded lady
A bearded lady (or bearded woman) is a woman with a naturally occurring beard normally due to the condition known as hirsutism or hypertrichosis. Hypertrichosis causes people of either sex to develop excess hair over their entire body (including ...
from the beginning of the 20th century.
It had its world premiere in the
Un Certain Regard
(; 'A Certain Glance') is a section of the Cannes Film Festival's official selection. It is run at the Debussy, parallel to the competition for the . This section was introduced in 1978 by Gilles Jacob.
The section presents 20 films with unusua ...
section at the
76th Cannes Film Festival
The 76th annual Cannes Film Festival took place from 16 to 27 May 2023. Swedish filmmaker Ruben Östlund served as jury president. With the French film ''Anatomy of a Fall'' winning the Palme d'Or, the festival's top prize, Justine Triet became ...
on 18 May 2023, where it competed for the
Queer Palm
The Queer Palm is an independently sponsored prize for selected LGBT-relevant films entered into the Cannes Film Festival. The award was founded in 2010 by journalist Franck Finance-Madureira. It is sponsored by Olivier Ducastel and Jacques Mart ...
. It was theatrically released in France on 10 April 2024.
Synopsis
In 1870s Brittany, Rosalie is a young woman who hides a secret: she is a
bearded lady
A bearded lady (or bearded woman) is a woman with a naturally occurring beard normally due to the condition known as hirsutism or hypertrichosis. Hypertrichosis causes people of either sex to develop excess hair over their entire body (including ...
. In an effort not to be rejected, she forces herself to shave. Abel, owner of a café and in debt, marries Rosalie for her dowry without knowing his fiancée's secret.
Benoît Magimel
Benoît Magimel (; born 11 May 1974) is a French actor. He was 14 when he appeared in his first film, and has starred in a variety of roles in French cinema. At age 16, Magimel left school to pursue acting as a career. In 2001, he won the Best A ...
as Abel Deluc
*
Benjamin Biolay
Benjamin Biolay (; born 20 January 1973) is a French singer, musician, songwriter, record producer and actor. He is the brother of singer Coralie Clément—whose first three albums he wrote and produced—and the ex-husband of Chiara Mastroia ...
as Barcelin
*
Guillaume Gouix
Guillaume Gouix (; born 30 November 1983) is a French actor, director and screenwriter. He starred in the limited television series '' Gone for Good'' (2021).
Career
Guillaume Gouix learned acting at the Conservatory of Marseille, then at the ...
as Pierre
*
Gustave Kervern
Gustave Kervern (born 27 August 1962), also known as Gustave de Kervern and Gustave K/Vern, is a French actor, director and screenwriter. He is best known for his collaboration with Benoît Delépine.
Life and career
In 1999, he joined his frie ...
as Paul
* Anna Biolay as Jeanne
*
Juliette Armanet
Juliette Anne Solange Armanet (; born 4 March 1984) is a French singer and songwriter.
She won the Album Révélation of the Year in 2018 at the Victoires de la Musique for "Petite amie".
Discography Studio albums
EPs
Singles
Ot ...
Serge Bozon
Serge Bozon (born November 8, 1972) is a French filmmaker, screenwriter, and actor.
Early life and career
Bozon was born in France in 1972. He pursued a career in filmmaking and became known for his vision. Bozon's early work as an actor and ...
as Photographer
* Eugène Marcuse as Jean
Production
Development
''Rosalie'' was produced by Alain Attal through his production company Trésor Films. In May and June 2022, the production announced searches for extras for the shooting of
Stéphanie Di Giusto
Stéphanie Di Giusto (also known by her former pseudonym "Paf le chien") is a French film director, photographer and art director.
Life and career
After her studies at the École nationale supérieure des arts décoratifs and ESAG Penninghen in ...
's next film, tentatively titled ''La Rosalie'', starring with Nadia Tereszkiewicz and
Benoît Magimel
Benoît Magimel (; born 11 May 1974) is a French actor. He was 14 when he appeared in his first film, and has starred in a variety of roles in French cinema. At age 16, Magimel left school to pursue acting as a career. In 2001, he won the Best A ...
, scheduled to take place in
Brittany
Brittany ( ) is a peninsula, historical country and cultural area in the north-west of modern France, covering the western part of what was known as Armorica in Roman Gaul. It became an Kingdom of Brittany, independent kingdom and then a Duch ...
between October and November. The film is co-produced by
France 3 Cinéma
France 3 () is a French free-to-air public television network. The second flagship network of France Télévisions, it broadcasts a wide range of general and specialized programming.
France 3 is structured as a regional service with 13 re ...
, Laurent Dassault Rond Point, Artémis Productions (Belgium), and Gaumont.
That same month, Trésor Films announced the theatrical and sales rights were acquired by Gaumont.
Filming
Filming began on 6 October 2022 in the
Brittany
Brittany ( ) is a peninsula, historical country and cultural area in the north-west of modern France, covering the western part of what was known as Armorica in Roman Gaul. It became an Kingdom of Brittany, independent kingdom and then a Duch ...
region of France. It took place in the , a former steel producing village in central Brittany that straddles the border between
Côtes-d'Armor
The Côtes-d'Armor ( , ; ; , ), formerly known as Côtes-du-Nord until 1990 (, ), is a department in the north of Brittany, in northwestern France. In 2019, it had a population of 600,582.Morbihan
The Morbihan ( , ; ) is a departments of France, department in the administrative region of Brittany (administrative region), Brittany, situated in the northwest of France. It is named after the Gulf of Morbihan, Morbihan (''small sea'' in Breton ...
. The village was discovered by the director after it was featured in the programme ''
Des racines et des ailes
''Des racines et des ailes'' (meaning "roots and wings") is a French-language television documentary series, created by Patrick de Carolis and Patrick Charles in France in 1997. ''Des racines et des ailes'' is broadcast two Wednesdays per month ...
''. Filming also took place in the commune of
Duault
Duault (; ) is a commune in the Côtes-d'Armor department of Brittany in northwestern France.
Population
The inhabitants of Duault are known in French as ''duaultois''.
See also
*Communes of the Côtes-d'Armor department
The following i ...
(
Côtes-d'Armor
The Côtes-d'Armor ( , ; ; , ), formerly known as Côtes-du-Nord until 1990 (, ), is a department in the north of Brittany, in northwestern France. In 2019, it had a population of 600,582.Concarneau
Concarneau (, meaning "Bay of Cornouaille") is a Communes of France, commune in the Finistère Departments of France, department of Brittany (administrative region), Brittany in Northwestern France. Concarneau is bordered to the west by the Baie ...
(
Finistère
Finistère (, ; ) is a Departments of France, department of France in the extreme west of Brittany. Its prefecture is Quimper and its largest city is Brest, France, Brest. In 2019, it had a population of 915,090.
File:Bretagne, Les Forges des Salles-2294.jpg, Forges des Salles.
File:Chateau de Rosvilliou.jpg, Manor of Rosviliou.
File:Château de Kériolet (0).jpg, Château de Kériolet.
Release
The film was selected to be screened in the
Un Certain Regard
(; 'A Certain Glance') is a section of the Cannes Film Festival's official selection. It is run at the Debussy, parallel to the competition for the . This section was introduced in 1978 by Gilles Jacob.
The section presents 20 films with unusua ...
section of the
76th Cannes Film Festival
The 76th annual Cannes Film Festival took place from 16 to 27 May 2023. Swedish filmmaker Ruben Östlund served as jury president. With the French film ''Anatomy of a Fall'' winning the Palme d'Or, the festival's top prize, Justine Triet became ...
, where it had its world premiere on 18 May 2023. It was screened at the Théâtre Claude Debussy. At Cannes, it was selected to compete for the
Queer Palm
The Queer Palm is an independently sponsored prize for selected LGBT-relevant films entered into the Cannes Film Festival. The award was founded in 2010 by journalist Franck Finance-Madureira. It is sponsored by Olivier Ducastel and Jacques Mart ...
award. Juror
Isabel Sandoval
Isabel Sandoval is a Filipino filmmaker and actress who lives in the United States. She directed the films ''Señorita'' (2011), ''Aparisyon'' (2012) and ''Lingua Franca (film), Lingua Franca'' (2019). She also directed a short film called ''Wo ...
defined that "queer" "is to resist conformity and exempt oneself from the mainstream". Franck Finance-Madureira, a journalist and creator of the Queer Palm, defined it as "anything that breaks the norm, anything that breaks gender codes and anything that challenges patriarchy".
The film was originally set to be released theatrically in France by Gaumont on 24 January 2024, but the release date was pushed back to 10 April 2024. Athena Films distributed the film in Belgium on 17 April 2024.
Reception
Critical response
''Rosalie'' received an average rating of 3.2 out of 5 stars on the French website
AlloCiné
AlloCiné is an entertainment website founded by Jean-David Blanc in 1988, then joined by Patrick Holzman. It has belonged to the company since 2013 Webedia. which specializes in providing information on French cinema, mostly centering on nove ...