Die Perlenstickerinnen (Brodeuses)
France 2004

Opening 19 May 2005

Directed by: Éléonore Faucher
Writing credits: Éléonore Faucher, Gaëlle Macé
Principal actors: Lola Naymark, Ariane Ascaride, Jackie Berroyer, Thomas Laroppe, Marie Félix

This is a lovely French film, with a beautiful, talented, young actress, scenic French countryside, sadness in the middle and a happy end. A few colleagues found it boring, I didn’t. But one does question the premise of the film – young girl gets pregnant and decides to keep it a secret. Why? In this day and age?

The pregnant Claire (Lola Naymark) has left her supermarket job after colleagues begin to notice her weight gain and finds an assistant’s job with Mme. Melikan (Ariane Ascaride), an embroiderer for Haute Couture: for Claire, a dream job. Mme Melikan has lost her son through a motorcycle crash and is suicidal. Eventually Clair is able to help her find new reasons to live. A romance develops between Claire and the young man who was inadvertently responsible for the death of Mme. Melikan’s son and is the brother of her best friend. The love affair is promising, but unresolved at the film’s not unpredictable end. (Adele Riepe)