Rosalie at Perth Festival

Details: Written by: Nita Teoh; Category: Arts & Culture; Published: 12 December 2023

Rosalie-Perth-Festival

Nadia Tereszkiewicz (as Rosalie Deluc) and Benoît Magimel (as Abel Deluc), Rosalie
Photo Credit: Perth Festival and Gaumont

Boy meets girl?

A picture perfect wedding photo?

Not your usual fairy tale by a long shot.

Rosalie is a French period drama set in the 1870’s.

A young lady (Rosalie) enters into marriage hiding a secret from her future husband (Abel) which he only discovers on the wedding night.

Circumstances have united the unlikely pair – Abel is marrying Rosalie for her dowry due to being in debt for his failing cafe. Injured from the war, he is struggling to make ends meet and under pressure from the local lord to sell up.

Rosalie’s secret wreaks havoc on her marriage as well as providing a shaking up of the attitudes of the small close-knit town.

The evolving character depth of each the main characters was a key foundation of the movie, with each discovering their own strength and foibles as they learned about their new spouses, after starting out as perfect strangers when they tied the knot.

The various antagonists in the community cause much despair for Rosalie - she is resolute and strong (a true hero and protagonist), but still vulnerable to moments of weakness, shame and fear.

Will Rosalie and Abel come together to forge a life for themselves, or will they be destroyed by her outspoken nature and refusal to conform?

Movie goers will enjoy Rosalie if you enjoy period dramas and a film with good character development and a unique storyline.

It is a movie that is heartfelt, poignant and entrancing, overcoming a slightly slow start to keep us engrossed for the nearly 2 hour running time.

Director Stéphanie Di Giusto has crafted an exquisite movie that touches on many elements of desire, unconditional love, the definitions of femininity, and societal expectations and perceptions and what happens when a person differs from the norm.

Viewed amidst the majestic pine trees of the UWA Somerville Theatrette – it is the perfect setting for relaxing with family and friends to watch the unique offerings of the Lotterywest Perth Festival movie season and to have a bite to eat from Charlie’s Pizza or BYO amongst the very relaxing grounds.

Rosalie screens at UWA Somerville as part of the Lotterywest Films Perth Festival until this Sunday 17 December.

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