We Can Only Be Ourselves With Ourselves.
Review written by Jack Aling
The Balconettes 'Les femmes au balcon' is directed & written by Noémie Merlant and co-written by Céline Sciamma. Starring Souheila Yacoub, Sanda Codreanu & Noémie Merlant.
As a heat wave brings a Marseille neighbourhood to the boil, three roommates gleefully meddle in the lives of their neighbours from their balcony. Until a late night drink turns into a bloody affair.
An energetic blending of genres, The Balconettes explores identity and consent through three very different reactions to a dark bloody event.
Directed, written and starring Noémie Merlant, there is a real vulnerability in the story she chooses to tell and the lengths she goes to tell it. It attempts a lot and does seem to go off on a few tangents along the way but you can really feel co-writer Céline Sciamma's presence to bring it home with a cathartic final act.
Love, life and death from a balcony, The Balconettes is liberating and exposing - just managing to get away with its overuse of tonal shifts thanks to its three remarkable leads.
Our verdict: 3.5 out of 5 stars.
The Balconettes releases in the UK soon.
Read more of Jack's reviews at: letterboxd.com/TheJackAling
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