Review of Coco Before Chanel (2009) by Fiona N — 24 Jul 2010

I wasn't horribly interested in seeing a biographical film about the life and trials of this fashion sensation, but I have to admit that â??Coco avant Chanelâ?? is an extremely good representative for its genre. Anne Fontaine directs with ambition, giving the film a fleshy personality and a sense of artistic achievement. And Audrey Tautou has never been better than she is here; she creates a fascinating and complex character with conmfidence, supporting the storytelling even futher. It was also nice to see ever charming Alessandro Nivola offer another talented- and of course immensely charming- performance.

Rarely do I find myself so thoroughly and pleasantly surprised by a movie. What I thougt would at best be a stylish but by-the-book biographical piece turned out to be an artistically whole, touching and communicative story that gives you something to think about while offering an informative profile of an iconic character.