Couture
The brief
Alice Winocour turns Fashion Week into an unexpectedly intimate pressure cooker where Angelina Jolie's cancer-stricken director, a displaced Sudanese model, and a backstage makeup artist orbit each other in fragile desperation. The film moves with the frantic energy of runway shows but finds its heart in quiet moments between the chaos, though it occasionally gets lost trying to juggle three heavy storylines at once. Jolie delivers her most vulnerable performance in years while newcomer Anyier Anei matches her beat for beat as the young model navigating an industry designed to exploit her. Perfect for fans of Personal Shopper or anyone drawn to stories about women finding agency in spaces that seem designed to diminish them.
The verdict
If you're drawn to character-driven dramas that find profound intimacy within high-pressure environments and appreciate powerhouse performances from Jolie and newcomer Anyier Anei, this is essential viewing. If you prefer tightly focused narratives over ambitious ensemble pieces that sometimes strain under the weight of multiple heavy storylines, you'll likely find this more scattered than satisfying.
Watch with
- 👤 Perfect for a thoughtful night alone
- 👥 Great discussion starter with close friends
- ⚠️ Heavy themes may overwhelm casual viewers
Heads up
- Cancer diagnosis and medical themes (moderate)
- Refugee trauma and displacement (moderate)
- Fashion industry exploitation (brief)
Credits
- Director
- Alice Winocour
- Cast
- Angelina Jolie, Ella Rumpf, Anyier Anei, Louis Garrel, Garance Marillier, Vincent Lindon, Finnegan Oldfield
Official synopsis
'In the frenzy of Fashion Week, three women cross paths in Paris, grappling with the world''s tragedies and
The Double
Make a night of it
Pair this with Perfect Blue (1998)
Both explore women's fractured identities within demanding, appearance-obsessed industries.
Total runtime: 1h 46m + 1h 22m = 3h 8m
