Review

Best known for her roles in Portrait of a Lady on Fire (2019) and Paris, 13th District (2021), French actress Noémie Merlant returns as a director with her second feature, The Balconettes—a wild revenge story centered on women. Set during a blistering heatwave in Marseille, where temperatures soar to 46ºC, the film unfolds in a sweltering apartment shared by three women: Nicole, an aspiring romance novelist; Ruby, a livestreamer with a mostly male audience; and Élise, a TV drama actress. One night, they cross the street to attend a party at a man's apartment and something horrific happens—signaling the start of the plot. It's almost hard to believe that the screenplay was co-written by Céline Sciamma—of Portrait of a Lady on Fire and Petite Maman (2021)—alongside Merlant, given how bold and vibrantly comedic this film is in tone and color. Though overflowing with raw sexuality, brutal violence, The Balconettes, at its core, is a sensational tale of female solidarity. It is both a scathing of a male-dominated world and a meaningful act of revenge for the sacrifices women have long endured. Western critics have even compared it to the early works of Pedro Almodóvar. Merlant, who also stars as Élise, conceived the idea for the film five or six years ago while living in a flat with two friends, recovering from burnout, and much of what she experienced during that time has found its way into the story. (MOON Seok)

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