Foresti's Dark Performance Shines

De plus belle is a slice-of-life comedy-drama which revolves around the difficult life of a middle-aged single mother—portrayed by Florence Floresti—who has issues with body-image and self-esteem following treatment for breast cancer. Dealing with the physical aftermath leads her to a chance encounter in a wig-shop that puts her on a very unlikely road to psychological recovery: In the theatre… doing the strip-tease… alongside other women with similar problems.

This all sounds very familiar and derivative, and the production is closer to an ITV drama than a cinematic blockbuster, but it is worth watching nonetheless. I only bothered because I spotted Mathieu Kassovitz on the cast list (I’m a huge fan) so it was surprising to find his presence eclipsed by the rather less accomplished Foresti. Her performance is so dark and vulnerable that there’s a constant feeling she is bringing her own real-life insecurities to the screen. Consequently, I am now very interested in exploring her earlier work.

Despite the tired old theatrical trope which suggests exposing oneself on stage is the way forward with body-image issues, there is actually a surprising twist at the end which makes De plus belle a bit different from films which exploit the same idea. It’s not exactly profound and I won’t spoil it, but as already indicated… it’s worth a watch.