Couture

Although this takes place during Paris Fashion Week, this film is really about 4 women who are tangential to the event. Angelina Jolie plays a director who’s showing her film during one designer’s showcase. The others are a seamstress working on the opening dress (Garance Marillier), a makeup artist who wants to be a writer (Ella Rumpf) and an innocent model with her first gig (Anyier Anei). Of course, Jolie’s character has the most screen time, as she receives a life-changing information. The other 3 have varying levels of interest, but no real depth in their stories. The performances are fine, but writer/director Alice Winocour has kept the emotions to a minimum, being more observational than expressive (Jolie does have a few dramatic moments). Anyone hoping for insight into the world of fashion will find that only as a background for these rather bland stories.

When one hears the French word “couture” (or, as it’s often more fully termed, “haute couture”), one generally thinks of the concept of “high fashion,” a symbol of sophistication and elegance expressed through clothing. In turn, the word also often connotes the industry that grew up around this sartorial artform, one that got its start through the craft of sewing and has since spawned the alternative meaning “stitches” or, when applied more metaphorically, “connections,” particularly where the women who have become the representatives of couture are concerned. And, over time, the women of couture have become a diverse sisterhood of sorts, one connected by their commonality as symbols of fashion and as exploited participants in the industry in which they work. It’s a complex set of variables simultaneously at play, one that the latest offering from director Alice Winocour struggles mightily to capture through a drama focusing on the lives of three women during Paris Fashion Week. The result, however, is a largely unfocused production whose story threads only skim the surface of their potential and largely fail to enliven the development of those aforementioned connections. This makes “Couture” a film that’s not nearly as profound as it likes to think it is. The primary story arc follows American filmmaker Maxine Walker (Angelina Jolie), a director of mostly independent horror films who’s hired to make a picture to be shown at PFW’s opening ceremony. In the midst of this frenzy, however, she learns she has developed breast cancer and must choose between her work and her treatment (soul-searching that’s frequently touted but not extensively depicted). The second thread examines the budding career of South Sudanese model Ada (Anyier Anei), who has somehow managed (and quite inexplicably at that) to be selected for Ms. Walker’s movie and to appear at the opening festivities. However, as someone who is new to all this, she’s like a fish out of water, unsure if this is what she wants, if she knows how to play the part or if she’d rather return to Africa and attend school to pursue a pharmacy career. And, finally, the third storyline chronicles the life of Angèle (Ella Rumpf), a makeup artist who would rather become a writer. However, as noted above, none of these stories is particularly well developed, often presented in a disjointed manner with many threads left hanging. In addition, its primary narrative topics – the dynamics of the fashion industry, coping with breast cancer, and professional and personal disrespect toward women – have been explored in any number of other films – and better – especially since they’re frequently clumsily tied together here (if at all). And, by the time the opening ceremonies roll around, the picture turns terribly pretentious (almost surreal) with self-important, overdramatic voiceovers that are genuinely hard to take seriously. To the film’s credit, Jolie gives a fierce performance, no doubt impelled by her own experiences dealing with this subject matter. And, considering the material she has to work with here, she does a commendable job in the role, continuing to build on the comeback she launched with her superb portrayal in “Maria” (2024). But, beyond that, there’s not much else to recommend. That’s unfortunate, given that “Couture” might have made for a more compelling and insightful release with better writing, editing, direction and supporting performances. However, given how this disappointing offering turned out, that calls for the application of a lot of much-needed patchwork, to be sure.