SummaryAfter discovering that her husband's addiction to escorts has left their family penniless, Alice finds herself drawn into the world of high-end prostitution as a means of caring for herself and her child.
Directed By:Josephine Mackerras
Written By:Josephine Mackerras
Alice
Metascore
Generally Favorable
72
User score
Mixed or Average
5.1
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Top Cast
Metascore
Generally Favorable
82% Positive
9 Reviews
9 Reviews
18% Mixed
2 Reviews
2 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
May 14, 2020
83
Alice is truly independent like never before and she’s confronted with the unfair fact that she probably won’t be able to maintain it if she also hopes to keep Jules. To watch Piponnier weigh that abhorrent truth is to witness the internal struggle every woman who’s experienced this type of coerced acquiescence faces.
Aug 4, 2020
80
There is no doubt that Alice is an empowering watch. It skillfully combines narrative realism with compelling character development and whip-smart dialogue to produce an engrossing look into a subject matter that is all too frequently over-sexed and sensationalised.
May 14, 2020
80
This Paris-set debut feature from Australian director Josephine Mackerras negotiates morally complex territory and the minefield of society’s double standards with an admirably light step.
May 15, 2020
75
As Alice, Piponnier is phenomenal, putting in a meticulously reserved performance in what could very well have been a melodramatic role.
Mar 16, 2019
70
The writer-director's first feature has much going for it, above all a striking performance by Emilie Piponnier in the title role. Neither a fallen-woman melodrama nor an encomium to guilt-free sex work, the complicated moral tale has strong art house potential.
Mar 16, 2019
70
There’s a lot of emotional and intellectual material that writer/director Josephine Mackerras grapples with in Alice, and she is quite successful in doing so.
May 14, 2020
40
Alice (rightfully) regards the choices of its heroine with respect and empathy. But its picture of sex work as an easy out, devoid of any real danger, feels like a simplistic fantasy.
User score
Mixed or Average
57% Positive
4 Ratings
4 Ratings
0% Mixed
0 Ratings
0 Ratings
43% Negative
3 Ratings
3 Ratings
May 23, 2020
8
Turnabout is fair play when a young Parisian wife and mother discovers that her philandering husband has emptied the family's bank accounts to pay for the services of high-end prostitutes. To provide for her toddler son and hold on to her housing, the inventive and now-independent woman takes a job with the very escort agency her ex availed himself of, a move that proves liberating and lucrative, enabling her to amass the resources she needs for when matters between the former partners become contentious. This innovatively empowering, warm and sometimes-funny tale hits most of the right notes, albeit a tad predictably at times, with a fine lead performance by Emilie Piponnier, atmospheric cinematography and an excellent original score. The premise of this domestic drama may seem a bit far-fetched for some (even though is is very French), but the movie nevertheless serves up good entertainment and an evocatively offbeat source of inspiration.
Production Company:
- Onearth Productions
Release Date:May 15, 2020
Duration:1 h 43 m
Awards
Oakville Festivals of Film and Art
• 2 Wins & 6 Nominations
RiverRun International Film Festival
• 3 Wins & 3 Nominations
SXSW Film Festival
• 2 Wins & 2 Nominations
