A new film starring Angelina Jolie in one of the main roles, “Couture” by French director Alice Winokur, has been released in Ukrainian cinemas. The cast also includes Louis Garrel and Anyer Aney, a promising young model from South Sudan.
Text: Eldar Sherifov
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The story tells of the challenges and resilience hidden behind the facade of beauty in the fashion industry. Maxine (Angelina Jolie) is an American director who falls for Paris Fashion Week, learns of her diagnosis – breast cancer – and unexpectedly finds herself drawn into a new relationship with her longtime creative partner (Louis Garrel). Ada (Agnès Aney) is a new star of the modeling world, fleeing a predetermined future in her native South Sudan. Her story arc also features Ukrainian model Julia Ratner, whose character is inspired by Julia's own story. The third story of the film is the fate of Angel (Ella Rumpf) – a makeup artist who works in the shadow of the catwalks.
We spoke with the director and asked her about her Ukrainian roots, the themes raised in the film, and sources of inspiration.
Your last name sounds Ukrainian – do you have roots in Ukraine, and if so, did this influence the characters in “Couture”?
Yes, I have Ukrainian roots on my father’s side: my grandfather came from Berdychiv and left Ukraine during the pogroms [Jewish pogroms in January 1919 – Ed. note]. Subconsciously, I think this traumatic family history, also influenced by the Holocaust, has influenced my films, which often deal with trauma, resilience, and healing. I believe in the comforting power of cinema.
Yulia Ratner, the Ukrainian model who starred in your film, said that you discussed the fate of refugees and that this influenced one of the central stories of the film. Can you tell us more about your communication with Yulia?
I met Yulia backstage at the Chanel shows, where she spent over a year exploring the industry, meeting makeup artists, models, seamstresses, and other professionals. I was instantly captivated by her story. She came from Kyiv to work in the frenetic pace and glitz of Fashion Week, living between these two separate worlds. In the film, we see her communicating with a South Sudanese model who has also been affected by the war. I love this idea of solidarity and instant understanding between people who, although they come from different worlds, share the same wounds, the same traumas – the ones that war brings.
I adapted the character of the Ukrainian model based on Yulia's personal story. In the film, we even hear her speaking Ukrainian on the phone to her boyfriend.
In an interview with TIME France, Angelina shared that this film is very personal for her. Was it crucial for you to work with Jolie on this project, or did it come naturally?
The character of Maxine Walker is inspired by my own story of battling cancer, but I wanted her to be played by an actress who also has a personal connection to the disease.
The subject of the film is close to Angelina, as her mother and grandmother died of breast cancer. She also underwent a double mastectomy so as not to repeat the fate of her family. She immersed herself in the character and learned French. Like the character Maxine, her mother was of French descent. Angelina is at the same time a huge star, operating at the very heart of the Hollywood system, but at the same time completely independent, able to resist any authority. I really appreciate her for this – for this loneliness and unlikeness. I wanted to show her fragility, which is hidden behind her authority.
Does the word “Couture” have any more meaning within the film, other than its association with the fashion industry?
In French, it also means “stitches.” The idea was to show all the wounds behind haute couture. There was a desire to “stitch” the destinies of these three women, who come from different worlds, to gather the fragments of their lives.
I wanted the “seams” of the film to create echoes, rhymes, and counterpoints between the frames, which echo each other like a round dance. The film recreates real life with its coincidences and encounters.
The title also sets the direction for the film's form and aesthetic intentions, presented as a collage in which the seams are visible – through sudden changes of worlds and breaks in sound.
Were there any specific directors or films among your inspirations for this work?
Antonioni and his film Zabriskie Point were the inspiration for the final scene of the house collapse and its visual style, with its hypnotic slow-motion. In this scene, as the house is blown to pieces, everyday objects – books, clothes, food, furniture, even the refrigerator – are thrown out and suspended in mid-air before finally disappearing. I love the poetry and lyricism of this scene, which criticizes consumer society and capitalism. At some point, I wanted to recreate this lyrical drama.
I think the answer to the cruelty of the world is in poetry. In the physical image of a storm that disrupts the established order. This ultimate destruction causes transformation, a transition to a new life. It is a form of catharsis.
This project is the first feature film to be shot inside the legendary Chanel atelier on rue Cambon. What is it like to shoot inside one of the greatest fashion houses?
We wanted the story to be based on a real fashion house. We shot at Chanel, but without directly mentioning the name, because for me – and for the integrity of the film – it was important to avoid logos and to maintain a sense of fictional space. At the same time, some viewers will recognize the grand staircase on the rue Cambon and the haute couture workshops where the seamstresses play themselves.
As for the show, it was an artistic collaboration, as the entire collection was created by the studio in partnership with Pascaline Chavannes [the film's costume designer – ed. note]. We were inspired by the Pre-Raphaelite artists to emphasize the fairy-tale atmosphere of the film.
The film “Couture” by director Alice Vinokur is already in Ukrainian cinemas – from March 5. The interview was prepared with the support of the film distributor Green Light Films, which is releasing the film in Ukraine.