Jolie and Anei Are Luminescent in Couture

“Couture” is a French word that literally means stitches. In this film by Alice Winocour, the world of fashion is not only explores how garments are stitched together, but how women from all corners of humanity can be connected with the beauty of a pas de deux despite their differences and circumstances.

As Maxine, Angelina Jolie is an American filmmaker who arrives in Paris during the frenzy of Fashion Week needing just one more success to revitalize her film career.  Ironically,  she finds herself in a race against time personally and professionally.  Gathering a  sense of sisterhood of chance and hardship from all three, Angèle (Ella Rumpf), the makeup artist is seeking a career as a writer using fashion as the backdrop for her script and Ada (Anyier Anei), the South Sudanese model, who will only last for one season.

This cinematic journey for Jolie fells a bit more personal than  her recent films.  In 2013, she underwent mastectomy surgery after discovering she carried the BRCA1 gene mutation, which put her at a significantly high risk for breast and ovarian cancer. As Maxine, she is faced with with a similar mortality, as well as, the possibility of watching her daughter become a woman or enjoy the thrill of falling in love one last time.  Situations that are coincidentally close in reality for Jolie.

Writer and director, Winocour more than effectively weaves their narratives together with such beautiful synchronicity with scenes like watching Angéle exude empathy to Maxine as she utters the word “cancer” for the first time pierced my heart.  As well as, the final scene where a storm of apocalyptic proportions rips the runway to shreds taking with it Maxine and Ada’s hopes and dreams serving as  a cathartic metaphor and revelation while embarking upon a new transformation of all their lives.

One of the moments that was so magically done was following the journey of the seamtress sewing a lock of hair into a piece of collection for luck.  The sensitivity and care taken with every single stitch is lovely to witness and serves a reminder the artistry it takes to create a collection one piece at a time

Jolie’s performance is luminescent while gracefully exuding all the emotions swirling around a woman  on the cusp of  a life altering change of events.  Anei has skin and a face smooth as silk and acting chops to match as illustrated in the final scene where she model stomps her way through the storm only to stumble upon a screen image of her silently screaming.  A scream mirroring the reality that each one of these vibrant women are at a crossroads.

All in all, Couture is a wonderful depiction of women emotionally intersecting wasting no time dwelling in the past, staying present and living their best life in order to navigate the future.