Top 150 Most Anticipated Foreign Films of 2020: #69. Suzanna Andler – Benoît Jacquot

Suzanna Andler

Benoît Jacquot, who rarely lets the earth circle the sun without unveiling a new project, turns to Marguerite Duras for inspiration for his next film, Suzanna Andler, based on the famed writer’s 1968 play. Charlotte Gainsbourg, reuniting with Jacquot after 2014’s 3 Hearts, headlines the film, produced by the director’s long-time collaborator Kristina Larsen. Hard-working Niels Schneider (Heartbeats, 2009), co-stars. Having directed films since the mid-1970s, Jacquot has had an increasingly strong festival presence in his later years. He’s competed in Cannes once, with 1998’s The School of Flesh, returning to the festival in Un Certain Regard in 2004 with A Tout de Suite and in 2016 as co-director of the documentary Gentleman Rissient (out of competition). He competed in Karlovy Vary in 2009 with Villa Amalia, but Berlin and Venice have entered him into competition the most often. In Berlin, Jacquot competed with 2012’s Farewell, My Queen, 2015’s The Diary of a Chambermaid and 2018’s Eva (the latter two remakes of Renoir/Bunuel and Losey titles, respectively), while Venice has entered him into comp four times, with 1997’s Seventh Heaven, 1999’s Keep It Quiet, 2006’s The Untouchable and 2014’s 3 Hearts.

Gist: Gainsbourg plays the title character, a woman crushed by a loveless marriage in the 1960s and forced to choose between accepting life as it is or choosing a more carefree existence with her younger lover.

Release Date/Prediction: Currently shooting in southern France, Jacquot could potentially compete for a fifth time in Venice 2020.