Couture

By Joanna Langfield

Deftly wrapped in her most vulnerable role, Angelina Jolie may just prove to be the real Supergirl of this summer’s movies.

French filmmaker Alice Winocour’s great looking peek into the high end fashion world takes us into places we probably don’t expect. And that is a good thing. Directing her focus on several of the women involved in creating a Paris couture show far splashier than their individual stories, we get to understand, if not celebrate the motivations and determination of those who sew, makeup and model. It’s a terrific concept, one which warms the heart of anyone interested in women and what makes them tick. And there’s quite a bit of ticking here. Ada, played by the stunning Anyier Anei, is a shy South Sudanese model, anxious to cash in and get back to pharmacy school. Angele (a wonderful Ella Rumpf) runs from one job to another, making other people beautiful as she makes notes for the scripts she wants to write. But, wisely, the show really is about Jolie’s Maxine, an American horror filmmaker who has been brought in to deliver the evening’s introduction.

We soon find out that Maxine is living a personal horror all on her own. How she deals with that is the only story that gets the depth to pull us in, even as we find a bit of sympathy for the women surrounding her. That’s thanks to the writing, but even more so, Jolie, who reveals a far more open and emotional side to her performance than we’ve seen before. It’s terrific, compelling work, far more subtle and effective than the flourished, hyper artsy conclusion Winocour whips up at film’s end.