Colette

The last Wash Westmoreland film I saw was Still Alice and I’m still crying over it. Luckily Colette is not so devastatingly sad. Here, director Westmoreland explores the story of Colette (Keira Knightley) who marries Parisian writer Henry Gauthier-Villars AKA Willy (Dominic West). She moves with Willy to Paris which is the hub of everything intellectually and artistically at the time. Soon after they move, Colette begins to ghost write for Willy. Her first novel, Claudine, takes off and becomes a bestseller. Willy is soon a sensation and Colette writes a few more Claudine novels that are also wildly successful. But things fall apart with infidelity on both sides and Colette voicing her displeasure at having Willy take the credit for her novels. Is this Big Eyes 2.0? You betcha. Okay so now you have the basics. Keira Knightley is aces as per usual. The costumes are amazing. Colette in particular goes through a major style transformation and I loved seeing how her outfits reflected her attitude shifts about herself. Dominic West is loud and boisterous as Willy and he creates a very alive character who is definitely a man of his time. I liked the commentary on gender norms/roles and societal constraints in terms of what is acceptable. It reminded me a lot of Big Eyes in terms of the themes it was exploring with a man taking credit for a woman’s work. Are they doing anything novel? Nope. But it was a fun film to watch and the real Colette is a boss so you should try to see this one.

Film or Movie: Film
You’ll like this film if:
1. You like the real Colette
2. You like period dramas
3. You’re fascinated by early 1900’s Paris