LOVE FRANCE ❘ JOIE DE VIVRE REVIEWS
We bring you our round-up of the best movies and books in France right now, as well as some old favourites to enjoy
INSPIRATION
FILMS ❘ REVIEWS
MAÏWENN The director putting Johnny Depp back on the silver screen
Now that Johnny Depp’s good name has been restored following that trial, fans will be delighted to know he is wasting no time in returning to the silver screen – and if the rumour mill is correct, his fi rst role will be as the disgraced 18th-century King Louis XV in a movie to be directed by French actress and fi lmmaker Maïwenn.
All of which is royally good news except that most people outside of France probably won’t have a clue who this mononym is. So allow us to bring you up to speed.
CHILD STAR
Born in 1976 in the Paris suburb of Les Lilas, her mother is artist Catherine Belkhodja, who according to Maïwenn’s one woman show, Le Pois Chiche, forced her into acting at a young age.
The pushiness paid off, with Maïwenn starring in a number of fi lms as a youngster, her biggest role being in Jean Becker’s L’été meurtrier (One Deadly Summer, 1983) with Isabelle Adjani. Ten years later aged just 16, she married director Luc Besson, 17 years her senior, and had a daughter with him. A bit part in Besson’s Léon in 1994 was followed by an appearance as the alien Diva Plavalaguna in his smash-hit The Fifth Element (1997).
CV 10-SECOND
A screen star’s life in one take
Name: Maïwenn Le Besco, known simply as Maïwenn Born: April 17, 1976 in Les Lilas, Paris Early career
Pushed into the industry by her ambitious mother, Maïwenn’s fi rst big role was opposite Isabel Adjani in 1983 drama L’été meurtrier. By 16,
Following the breakdown of their marriage, Maïwenn took her one-woman stand-up show on tour to much acclaim, but before long she returned to cinema. Several acting roles followed – and then directing beckoned. Her fi rst feature as director was 2006’s semi-autobiographical Pardonnez-
moi (Forgive Me). This was followed by Le bal des actrices (All About Actresses) in 2009 and Polisse in 2011, for which she won the Jury Prize at Cannes. In 2015, her movie Mon roi (My King), which she worked on for 10 years on and off, was selected to compete for the Palme d’Or at Cannes. She then wrote, directed and acted in ADN (DNA, 2020), which stars Fanny Ardant and which was supposed to première at Cannes in 2020 but the festival was postponed by Covid. Her latest project is called Jeanne du Barry and tells the tale of commoner du Barry’s affair with Louis XV, which ended with him ordering her execution in 1793. So what can Johnny Depp expect from his new director? In a 2016 interview with France Today, Maïwenn said: “When I direct,
I don’t really do much. Basically, I transmit the idea that they can be themselves, and let them tell the story.” Although she is no easy task master. “It’s true that I don’t beat around the bush,” she said. “When I’m not happy, I say it. But when I am happy, I laugh, I jump around, I smile, I scream.”
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she was married to director Luc Besson and appearing in his movies before striking out on her own and eventually turning her hand to directing. I know the face… Her biggest role internationally was in Besson’s English language sci-fi movie The Fifth Element (1997), in
which she played the alien Diva Plavalaguna. Where will we see her next? As well as directing, she will play the title role in the movie Jeanne du Barry opposite Johnny Depp as Louis XV. Du Barry was a favourite of the king’s until he had her
executed by guillotine in 1793. Filming for the movie, Depp’s fi rst in three years, is currently taking place around Paris and Versailles. C’est pas vrai!
Her nickname is Ouin-Ouin, which is how she is credited by Luc Besson for her role in Léon.
Aug/Sep 2022 FRANCE TODAY ❘ 99
IMAGE © NEON
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