''Rosalie'' is a 2023

historical History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbrella term comprising past events as well ...

drama 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 i ...

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 Nadia Tereszkiewicz (; born 24 May 1996) is a French-Finnish actress. Early life Tereszkiewicz was born in Versailles, Yvelines, Versailles to a Finnish mother and a Polish father, who named her after a character from the 1994 Nikita Mikhalkov fi ...

and Benoît Magimel. 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 female 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 section at the 76th Cannes Film Festival on 18 May 2023, where it competed for the Queer Palm. It was released in France on 10 April 2024.

Synopsis

In 1870s Brittany, Rosalie is a young woman who hides a secret: she is a

. In an effort to 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.

Cast

as Rosalie Deluc * Benoît Magimel 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 Mastroiann ...

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 Re ...

as Pierre * Gustave Kervern as Paul * Anna Biolay as Jeanne *

Juliette Armanet Juliette Armanet (; born 4 March 1984) is a French singer. She won the Album Révélation of the Year in 2018 at the Victoires de la Musique Victoires de la Musique (; en, Victories of Music) is an annual French award ceremony where the Vic ...

as Clothilde *

Lucas Englander Lucas Englander (born 21 September 1992) is an Austrian actor. He was selected in the category "Révélations" , the best newcomer category at the 46th César Awards. Early life Born in Vienna, his mother Juno Sylva Englander was a Czech-born ...

as Camilius * Serge Bozon * Eugène Marcuse

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

's next film, tentatively titled ''La Rosalie'', starring with

and Benoît Magimel, scheduled to take place in Brittany between October and November. The film is co-produced by France 3 Cinéma, 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 region of France. It took place in the , a former steel producing village in central Brittany that straddles the border between Côtes-d'Armor and Morbihan. 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 ( Côtes-d'Armor), where the Manor of Rosviliou was staged as an orphanage. Filming also took place in the commune of

Concarneau Concarneau (, meaning ''Bay of Cornouaille'') is a commune in the Finistère department of Brittany in north-western France. Concarneau is bordered to the west by the Baie de La Forêt. The town has two distinct areas: the modern town on the main ...

( Finistère) at the Château de Kériolet, which was used for its guard room. The banquet scene was shot there, where around fifty local extras were brought in. Filming concluded at the start of December. 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 section of the 76th Cannes Film Festival, 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 award. Juror

Isabel Sandoval Isabel Sandoval is a Filipina filmmaker and actress who lives in the United States. She directed the films ''Señorita'' (2011), ''Aparisyon'' (2012) and ''Lingua Franca'' (2019). She also directed a short film called ''Shangri-La'' (2021) as part ...

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.

Reception

Critical response

''Rosalie'' received an average rating of 3.2 out of 5 stars on the French website AlloCiné, based on 30 reviews.

Accolades

References

External links

* {{Portal bar, France, Belgium, Film, 2020s 2023 films 2023 drama films 2020s French films 2020s French-language films 2020s historical drama films Bearded women Films directed by Stéphanie Di Giusto Films set in the 1870s French historical drama films Belgian historical drama films French-language Belgian films France 3 Cinéma films Gaumont Film Company films Films shot in Côtes-d'Armor Films shot in Morbihan Films shot in Finistère Films set in Brittany