Trapped in a terrible relationship, they yearn for freedom
Scenario
Three women are stuck in an apartment in Marseille during the heat wave. The temperature is rising in the south of France, the air is boiling in Marseille, people are advised to stay at home and enjoy each other’s company.
This picture is the directorial debut of Noemi Merlant and she does a great job
However, Denise has had enough of the company of her abusive husband, who is always hungry, so she stabs him with a shovel before strangling him to death on their balcony. This is how the story begins, but Denise is not the main character: the plot revolves around three younger women, Nicole, Ruby and Elise, who decide to meet Nicole a bit' balcony that night and they never stop.
But he doesn’t seem to care about genre, but about making his message very clear
He is not afraid to combine all existing film genres into one: horror, love story, thriller, drama, comedy, etc. She says no, shout, shout, shout: many women are raped, abused, humiliated, oppressed and victimized every day by men, most of whom are their boyfriends, husbands or neighbours.
Well done Noémi!
Noémi doesn’t want them to get away, and neither do her grotesque characters who find their liberation, and they don’t care what the price is. A stunning, gritty, graphic and very confident debut.