A major ensemble casting update has dropped (via the Cineuropa folks) for Emmanuel Mouret‘s next directing gig. His brochette includes Camille Cottin, Sara Forestier, India Hair, Damien Bonnard, Grégoire Ludig and Vincent Macaigne – Une honnête femme (translates into “An Honest Woman”) deals with matters of the heart. Filming begins this week in Lyon and Moby Dick Films’ Frédéric Niedermayer is producing with the filmmaker once again.
Written by Emmanuel Mouret and Carmen Leroi, the story sees Joan, who’s no longer in love, leave her partner Victor who’s the father of her daughter. Joan is convinced her decision is morally justified, but it comes back to bite her when Victor subsequently disappears, leaving her overwhelmed with guilt. Her best friend Alice, for her part, is an advocate for marriages of convenience, relationships devoid of love but built upon affection, which she finds more bearable than passionate love. But Joan’s friend Rebecca sees love as an adventure, and is involved in a secret relationship with Alice’s partner! These are three close women who are light years apart in their attitudes and moral beliefs. Three women who try to defend their ideas and assert their choices…
A recent Cannes regular with Cannes Label Les choses qu’on dit, les choses qu’on fait (read our ★★★★ review) and the Cannes Premiere section showcased Diary of a Fleeting Affair (2023), Une honnête femme will likely make a bid for the Croisette once again.
Eric Lavallée is the founder, CEO, editor-in-chief, film journalist and critic at IONCINEMA.com (founded in 2000). Eric is a regular at Sundance, Cannes and TIFF. He has a BFA in Film Studies at the Mel Hoppenheim School of Cinema. In 2013 he served as a Narrative Competition Jury Member at the SXSW Film Festival. He was an associate producer on Mark Jackson's This Teacher (2018 LA Film Festival, 2018 BFI London). In 2022 he served as a New Flesh Comp for Best First Feature at the 2022 Fantasia Intl. Film Festival. Current top films for 2022 include Tár (Todd Field), All That Breathes (Shaunak Sen), Aftersun (Charlotte Wells).
