BENOIT JACQUOT

Bil’s rating (out of 5):  BBBB

Original title:  La Fille Seule

France, 1995.  Cinéa, La Sept Cinema.  Screenplay by Jerome Beaujour, Benoit Jacquot.  Cinematography by Caroline Champetier.  Produced by Philippe Carcassonne, Brigitte Faure.  Production Design by Louis Soubrier.  Film Editing by Pascale Chavance.  

Benoit Jacquot was inspired by Agnes Varda’s cool new wave classic Cleo From 5 to 7 to make a similar real-time drama of his own. It stars Virginie Ledoyen as a young woman on the first day of her new job working as a chambermaid in a Parisian hotel. Following her around for ninety minutes, Jacquot’s solid camerawork never for a minute runs out of things to show, from troubled hotel guests to Ledoyen’s arguments with her moody boyfriend (Benoît Magimel). Great film from a director poised on making even better films in the following years and an excellent lead performance by a very young but very talented Ledoyen.

Toronto International Film Festival:  1995