ALICE (MIFF FRENCH MOVIE REVIEW)

10/10

Alice is living a simple and happy life with her loving husband and a little son until her world turns upside down. Her husband disappears with all her money and as she is behind on mortgage repayments she is about to be evicted from her apartment. In order to save her home she needs to pay an exorbitant amount of money every two weeks. There’s only one way she can make that much money and that is to become a high class hooker.

In the beginning of the movie session the director Josephine Mackerras expressed her concern that the movie may not live up to everyone’s expectations. “This is a very small movie!” she said. It seems pretty big to me.

In fact this is probably the most focused and beautiful writing I have experienced in film in years. The script here is everything, simple but multilayered, with relatable slightly damaged characters we can identify with, with just enough tension to be thrilling and not going over the top, hitting all the right spots of dramatic, humorous and even slightly scary along the way.

Mackerras managed to squeeze many ideas into the film, yes it’s about feminism but it’s also about family, growing up, forgiveness and life choices. And like all movies made in Paris it’s a little bit about Paris.

Emilie Piponnier is an inspired casting choice for loyal and stoic Alice, a loving wife who always has her husband’s back but who doesn’t flinch when hard choices are to be made. Piponnier has the ability to transform from girl next door pretty to stunningly beautiful, the same way she moves from fragility to strength delivering a complex character that carries the story forward. 

ALICE is a thoroughly engaging movie with a satisfying finale that makes the audience cheer. If it’s not a masterpiece of indie movie making it is bloody close to being one.