''Actrices'' (''Actresses'') is a French

comedy-drama film Comedy drama, also known by the portmanteau ''dramedy'', is a genre of dramatic works that combines elements of comedy and drama. The modern, scripted-television examples tend to have more humorous bits than simple comic relief seen in a typical ...

directed by

Valeria Bruni Tedeschi Valeria Bruni Tedeschi, also written Bruni-Tedeschi (; born 16 November 1964), is an Italian-French actress, screenwriter and film director. Her 2013 film, '' A Castle in Italy,'' was nominated for the Palme d'Or at the 2013 Cannes Film Festiva ...

, released in 2007. The film was presented in the official selection at the 60th

Cannes Film Festival The Cannes Festival (; french: link=no, Festival de Cannes), until 2003 called the International Film Festival (') and known in English as the Cannes Film Festival, is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films o ...

and won a ''Prix Spécial du Jury'' in the

Un Certain Regard (, meaning '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 w ...

section.

Plot

Marcelline is a chagrined actress, haunted by ''Natalia Petrovna'', the heroine of the

Turgenev Ivan Sergeyevich Turgenev (; rus, links=no, Ива́н Серге́евич Турге́невIn Turgenev's day, his name was written ., p=ɪˈvan sʲɪrˈɡʲe(j)ɪvʲɪtɕ tʊrˈɡʲenʲɪf; 9 November 1818 – 3 September 1883 (Old Style dat ...

play '' A Month in the Country'', that she is rehearsing. Trying to escape her fears she visits the swimming pool. While she is swimming she listens to Glenn Miller. At the age of 40 she is unmarried and lives only for her work at the theatre. When she learns she will probably never have children, this heightens her anguish. She tries to communicate with those around her - living or dead: the

Virgin Mary Mary; arc, ܡܪܝܡ, translit=Mariam; ar, مريم, translit=Maryam; grc, Μαρία, translit=María; la, Maria; cop, Ⲙⲁⲣⲓⲁ, translit=Maria was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Joseph and the mother of ...

, the protecting ghost of her father seated on the family sofa, the mischievous phantom of her lover perched in a tree. She laughs and cries in turn, a nothing perturbs her, a look from her mother, or simply a kiss from the young lead in the play she is acting in.

Cast

as Marcelline *

Noémie Lvovsky Noémie Lvovsky (; born 14 December 1964) is a French film director, screenwriter, and actress. Life and career Born in Paris in 1964, Lvovsky is the daughter of Jewish parents who emigrated from Ukraine to flee pogroms. She studied cinema at L ...

as Nathalie *

Louis Garrel Louis Garrel (born 14 June 1983) is a French actor and filmmaker. He is best known for his starring role in '' The Dreamers'', directed by Bernardo Bertolucci.

as Éric *

Mathieu Amalric Mathieu Amalric (; born 25 October 1965) is a French actor and filmmaker. He is best known internationally for his roles in the James Bond film '' Quantum of Solace'', in which he played the lead villain, Steven Spielberg's ''Munich'', Wes An ...

as Denis *

Valeria Golino Valeria Golino (born 22 October 1965) is an Italian actress and film director. She is best known to English-language audiences for her roles in '' Rain Man'', ''Big Top Pee-wee'' and the two '' Hot Shots!'' films, particularly the olive-in-the-be ...

as Nathalia Petrovna * Marisa Borini as The mother *

Maurice Garrel Maurice Garrel (24 February 1923 – 4 June 2011) was a French film actor. Garrel was born in Saint-Servais, Isère. He appeared in over a hundred films and was nominated twice for a César Award for best supporting actor: in 1991 for '' ...

as The father *

Simona Marchini Simona Marchini (born 19 December 1941) is an Italian actress, television and radio presenter, stage director, comedian and art dealer. Life and career Born in Rome, the daughter of the businessman Alvaro, Marchini graduated in modern literat ...

as The aunt * Bernard Nissille as Jean-Paul *

Olivier Rabourdin Olivier Rabourdin (born 3 March 1959) is a French film actor. He has appeared in more than seventy films since 1985. In 2010 he was nominated for a French César Award in the category of Best Supporting Actor (Meilleur acteur dans un second rôle) ...

as Marc * Laetitia Spigarelli as Juliett * Gilles Cohen as Jean-Luc *

Marie Rivière Marie Rivière (; born 22 December 1956) is a French actress and filmmaker. She is known for her collaborations with director Éric Rohmer. From a working-class background, Marie Rivière grew up on a housing estate/project in Montreuil before ...

as The tailoress * Eric Elmosnino as Raymond *

Robinson Stévenin Robinson Stévenin (born 1 March 1981) is a French actor. Personal life Robinson's father is the actor Jean-François Stévenin. Also in the acting profession are his brother Sagamore Stévenin, Pierre Stévenin and his sister Salomé Stéve ...

as Julien * Laurent Grévill as Arthur *

Pascal Bongard Pascal Bongard is a Swiss film actor. He has appeared in more than forty films since 1984. Selected filmography References External links * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Bongard, Pascal Living people Swiss male film actors Swiss male televisio ...

as The priest

References

External links

* 2007 films Films directed by Valeria Bruni Tedeschi French comedy-drama films 2007 comedy-drama films 2000s French-language films 2000s French films Films produced by Olivier Delbosc Films produced by Marc Missonnier {{2000s-France-film-stub