There’s not enough material to work with here.
“Couture” doesn’t just feature the poster star Angelina Jolie, but it also features two other characters in the mix: a new model and a make-up artist. And yet, the movie doesn’t give each woman enough screen time for us to get to know them. I don’t even think the movie wants us to get to know more about them as much as we should.
This is also the latest film from French filmmaker Alice Winocour (“Augustine,” “Disorder”) and she displays the right performances to bring out these women, and as a film set within the world of high fashion, she gives some attractive images. But she doesn’t give us the kind of essence to elevate them. In fact, they end up being run-of-the-mill.
Jolie plays an independent filmmaker named Maxine Walker, who is invited to Paris to cover Fashion Week, but at the worst possible time, she finds out she has been diagnosed with breast cancer. Her doctor (Vincent Lindon) even advises her to postpone her most ambitious project to focus more on getting better. And she doesn’t know how to tell her teenage daughter who is living at home, especially if it’s on the phone. I mean how could anyone tell someone about a diagnosis like that on the phone?
There’s also a tall new model from South Sudan and would-be pharmacist named Ada (Anyier Anei), whose father doesn’t know she’s just entered the world of fashion, and whose family is living in Kenya expecting her to come home soon. Through some socialization and parties, she begins to gain her independence as a young woman. And we also have a veteran make-up artist named Angèle (Ella Rumpf), whose introduction has herself caught between projects, one in which was a last minute cancellation and the other is for the fashion show. And she is able to make some small talk with the people she crosses paths with, including Maxine who tells her about her diagnosis. In fact, at this point, she’s the only person she talks to about it.
Here’s an example of the visual approach to Winocour’s view of the fashion world. Walker is reflecting on her most successful project-a vampire movie-which she is using for the show. So she directs a set with trees, fog, a swamp, and a boat, and has Ada playing a vampire. So, you think that they’re going somewhere with it, but it’s never really examined.
When it comes to the pathos of the breast cancer diagnosis, Jolie gives a believable performance by acknowledging the stress and emotions of a woman caught in those circumstances. And Anei and Rumpf both provide some likable supporting work. All these actress deliver, but the screenplay doesn’t give them credit where credit is due. It just wanders about with the preparation for Fashion Week, some subplots that have very little pay-off, and the tone that makes the story seem boring. It kind of is.
“The Devil Wears Prada 2” and “Marc by Sofia” both recently had some character development within the world of fashion, and there was a lot at stake in each film. We were able to read the characters and understand their backgrounds and current situations. I’m not sure what the exact message of “Couture” is, but I still can’t give it a good review. A movie with pathos and circumstances should be as emotional as the characters, but it ends up having poor fashion sense.