Review of Yves Saint Laurent (2014) by Matthew F. J — 03 Jun 2015

France has produced two films about Saint Laurent in one year. Jalil Lespert, an actor turned director, produce this biopic which is completely different in ever way possible from the Bonello's adaptation that came out right after this one last year.

Although this film is very orientated on the private life and tumultuous relationship between Saint Laurent and his partner Pierre Berge, I preferred by far the other one which was less stern, more colorful and had a more positive outlook on the life of the designer.

This version is so slow and dragging and showing the pain and the torment lived by the designer, it becomes quickly boring and a pure exercise of style for the director. Of course the film display some amazing costumes and the cast is pretty solid but it didn't work for me.

Too conventional, too suffocating in my opinion and definitely way too focused on the drugs and the 'drama' lived by YSL during his lifetime. Some will undoubtedly enjoy this version more but even without making the comparison between the two films, I felt incredibly bored and lost interest quickly for this over intellectual and pompous biopic.