North American Premiere
Laetitia Colombani’s assured adaptation of her own best-selling novel weaves together three stories of female struggle and perseverance across three continents. It begins, bracingly, in India, with Smita (Mia Maelzer) an “untouchable”, literally shoveling human excrement. In Puglia, Italy, Giulia (Fotina Puluso) is a confident, bookish young woman trying to keep her father’s wig business afloat after he goes into a coma. And, ascending several more social strata, in Montreal, Sarah (Kim Raver) is a successful lawyer on the verge of a senior partnership, trying to cover up an ill-timed cancer diagnosis.
Colombani cuts between these three determined, sometimes reckless women, tracking echoes and parallels as well as the obvious contrasts between their relative affluence and privilege. The film doesn’t editorialize on that score, but implies that what counts is setting your own goals rather than conforming to social expectations. This is an attractive, well-acted movie with a strong emotional pay-off and a fine score by Nomadland composer Ludovico Einaudi.
Community Partner
Mia Maelzer, Sajda Pathan, Nehpal Gautam, Danish Iqbal, Jyoti Dalit
France/Canada/Italy
2023
Panorama
In English, Italian and Hindi with English subtitles
Book Tickets
Indigenous & Community Access
Indigenous Access Tickets Community Access Tickets Ticket Donation Requests
Credits
Executive Producer
Christine De Jekel
Producer
Olivier Delbosc, Marc Missonnier, Richard Lalonde, Nicola Giuliano, Francesa Cima, Carlotta Calori, Viola Prestieri, Deborah Benattar
Screenwriter
Laetitia Colombani, Sarah Kaminsky
Cinematography
Ronald Plante
Editor
Albertine Lastera
Original Music
Ludovico Einaudi
Director
Laetitia Colombani
Laetitia Colombani is a multi-faceted woman : an actress in a dozen feature movies, a writer of internationally successful books and a director and screenwriter of short films and 3 features, including He Love Me, He Loves Me Not, starring Audrey Tautou (2002). As an actress, she has appeared in Cedric Kahn’s Fete de famille (2019) and Yvan Attal’s Les Choses Humaines (2021). The Braid is the first of her novels to be translated into English.
Filmography: He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not (2002); Mes stars et moi (2008)
Missing VIFF? Check out what's playing at the VIFF Centre
Mary Oliver: Saved by the Beauty of the World
Sasha Waters' documentary takes us through the life of America's best-selling late twentieth century poet, a private woman who shared her innermost thoughts and made them indispensable.
Vivaldi and Me
Venice, 1716. Composer Antonio Vivaldi teaches at an orphanage for abandoned girls, and establishes a deep rapport with violinist Cecelia — but their collaboration is threatened by her impending arranged marriage.
Amadou & Mariam: The Blind Couple From Mali
This lovely portrait of the irresistible Malian musicians traces how the blind couple met in Bamako and instantly connected, their triumphs on the world stage and collaborations with the likes of Chris Martin, Damon Albarn and Manu Chao.
Mistura
This foodie film from Peru tells the story of a newly single socialite reinventing herself — and the local cuisine — after her husband has left her for a younger woman. Along the way, she finds support from unexpected places...
Antidiva: The Carole Pope Confessions
Canadian queer rock icon Carole Pope — lead singer of Rough Trade — tells her story in Antidiva, a refreshingly inglorious rock doc from filmmaker Michelle Mama, who will be joining us for a Q&A, July 24.