La vie en rose

Olivier Dahan, France | UK | Czech Republic, 2007, 140 minutes

La Vie En Rose takes an emotional look at the life of suffering diva Edith Piaf, who really has led a rather dramatic life. Poor little Edith is born to an alcoholic mother and a circus performer father and has a disruptive time moving between places, including a brothel run by her grandmother (blimey!). We follow Edith through her rise to fame and struggle with love, loss and addiction all the while accompanied by the beautiful haunting music that she is so famous for.

Marion Coutillard portrays Edith Piaf from a teenager to her death a performance that deservedly won her an Oscar (not to mention a Bafta, a Cesar and a Golden Globe). She looks incredibly similar to Edith, even going so far as to shave her hairline and her eyebrows (that were then penciled back in) to resemble the singer as closely as possible. It is her performance that transforms this film from an engaging biopic into an outstanding piece of cinema. Amusingly, when Marion is not depicting famous French singers she likes to spend her time pissing off Americans - questioning the authenticity of the moon landing and even 911.

Come along and marvel at this mesmerising performance and enthralling story. You'll be humming "Non, je ne regrette rien" in no time.

Review by Katherine Sellar
Written for EUFS Programme Autumn 2008