Madeleine Collins movie storyline. In this tense psychological drama, Judith (Virginie Efira) leads a secret double life split between two households in two countries. In Switzerland, she lives with Abdel, with whom she is raising a little girl. In France, she lives with Melvil, with whom she has two older boys. Gradually this fragile balance, based on lies and back-and-forth trips, begins to veer dangerously off the rails.
Madeleine Collins is a French drama thriller film directed by Antoine Barraud and starring Virginie Efira, Quim Gutiérrez, Bruno Salomone, François Rostain, Jacqueline Bisset, Thomas Gioria, Valérie Donzelli, Nadav Lapid, Mona Walravens, Assouma Sow and Lorette Dugardin. The screenplay was written by Antoine Barraud. The film was released on August 18, 2023 in the United States by Greenwich Entertainment.
Film Review for Madeline Collins
eemingly channeling the spirit of Claude Chabrol, Antoine Barraud’s Madeleine Collins is a decidedly classy throwback thriller about a seemingly humdrum character committing perverse acts of subterfuge against others. Barraud’s film follows Judith Fauvet (Virginie Efira), a translator living in France with her successful conductor husband, Melvil (Bruno Salomone), and two sons. But, it turns out, Judith is living a second life.
Under the guise of the near-constant travel required for her work, Judith has a second family in Switzerland, where boyfriend Abdel (Quim Gutierrez) primarily cares for their young daughter, Ninon (Loïse Benguerel). Barraud and co-screenwriter Klotz outline the delicate balancing act required on Judith’s part to keep her double life a secret, and the narrative displays a compelling psychological nuance due to the focus on the far-reaching effects of her deception.
By homing in on the feelings of the secondary characters, the filmmakers poignantly articulate the emotional damage that Judith’s lies inflict on others. At one point, Abdel tells Judith that her intermittent appearances and false promises to Ninon are taking its emotional toll on the girl. Even Kurt (Nadav Lapid), Judith’s go-to forger of fake IDs, expresses similar sentiments, reminding Judith that he doesn’t exist to be used for her own personal purposes.
Judith exudes a menacing quality that belies her unassuming appearance, but like any good throwback thriller, the film takes devilish delight in watching Judith practice her duplicity, which can be as mundane as offhandedly giving a false name to strangers. Barraud crafts one highly tense scene after another of Judith piling lie upon lie, often in an attempt to weasel her way out of potentially disastrous situations. In an especially thrilling moment, Judith bumps into an acquaintance in Switzerland, only to be surprisingly joined by an old family friend from France, resulting in a flustered Judith saying that she’s moved to Switzerland without Melvil.
Madeleine Collins comes close to going off the rails in its denouement, with one frenetic car chase being out of step with the film’s otherwise ominously subdued tone. But it manages to convey a provocative and powerful notion that prevents it from succumbing to overwrought melodrama. Even when it seems like her life might completely unravel, Judith is a relentless fount of lies, and the film reveals itself to be not so much a chronicle of a slowly disintegrating double life as a gripping portrait of a woman who can’t shake her addiction to deception.
Madeleine Collins (2023)
Directed by: Antoine Barraud
Starring: Virginie Efira, Quim Gutiérrez, Bruno Salomone, François Rostain, Jacqueline Bisset, Thomas Gioria, Valérie Donzelli, Nadav Lapid, Mona Walravens, Assouma Sow, Lorette Dugardin
Screenplay by: Antoine Barraud
Cinematography by: Gordon Spooner
Film Editing by: Anita Roth
Costume Design by: Claire Dubien
Set Decoration by: Marine Michelems
Music by: Romain Trouillet
MPAA Rating: None.
Distributed by: Greenwich Entertainment
Release Date: August 18, 2023
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