Baroness Marguerite Dumont is determined
to be an opera star. She has everything she
needs to realize her dream: passion, drive,
rave reviews from her family and friends,
and enough wealth to hire private tutors
and host her own recitals. There’s just one
problem: Marguerite is hopelessly tone-deaf.
Inspired by the life of Florence Foster Jenkins,
director Xavier Giannoli has created a
satirical, compassionate portrait of a woman
who loves her art so much, she’s blind to her
own ineptitude. Catherine Frot is brilliant in
her César-winning performance of the title
role, and Denis Mpunga shines as her dutiful
butler, who seems to defend and protect her
while her philandering husband jeers behind
her back. But glimpses behind the veil at the
end of the film open the entire story up to a
different interpretation. Many things are not
what they seem in this exquisitely balanced,
lush period piece of a tragicomedy.