TIFF Film Review: Couture

Alice Winocour‘s latest film, “Couture”, stars most notably Angelina Jolie, with supporting roles by Anyier Anei, Louis Garrel, and Ella Rumpf. Set in Paris and focused on the strict fashion industry, the film aims to tell the complex stories of the characters within it.

The film does a fantastic job at highlighting the stories of women, specifically those in the high pressure standards and stresses of the film and fashion industry. It incorporates some interesting cinematography and clear symbolism that goes beyond the surface level. Unfortunately, the film also does a good job of drawing out its plot until it loses its audience entirely.

There are several main characters and storylines going on at once: the aspiring new model, the makeup artist watching everything unfold, the seamstress desperately trying to make her deadlines, and Maxine, played by Angelina Jolie, who struggles to balance all her responsibilities and issues. However, nearly all of them, save for Maxine’s story, ends unresolved. There isn’t enough character development nor exploration of these characters within the world. Deeper wants and fears are very subtly implied or hastily mentioned, but by the end of the film there is no proper resolution or confrontation of any of these ideas.

Dialogue is sparse and bland, the actors do what they can with the script but many conversations meant to make an impact instead fall flat. The film also seems to forget that voice actors should also be interesting and dynamic, as almost all the phone call scenes, and there many, have the most unenthusiastic, emotionless speaker coming from the other end.

Long-winded and unconventional in the most cliche way, I could hardly stay awake for majority of the long winded scenes of a girl walking down the street or up the stairs, much less the stale forced romance that lacked any chemistry.

I also would have preferred to have the film be French in its entirety, but I assume they made it a mix between English and French for the sake of attracting a wider audience beyond just French speakers.

While the film itself wasn’t entirely unwatchable, and Jolie’s performance is exceptionally compelling, there are too many parts left unfinished to be considered a complete film worth sitting through.