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“mso-spacerun: yes;”>   Foreign films mostly fall into two

categories: masterfully made, brilliantly acted movies, or movies

that are so bad that they get translated to a different language to

appear artsy. Fortunately, “Le Vie En Rose” fits smugly into the

first category.

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“mso-spacerun: yes;”>   The film is a biographical piece

about famous French singer Édith Piaf, played by Marion Cotillard

(“Inception”, “Big Fish”), who won an Oscar for her

performance.

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“mso-spacerun: yes;”>   The film’s narrative is told in a

very nonlinear style; the story often jumps through various points

in her lifetime. This style works for this movie, allowing the

viewer to see her life as a whole instead of just a straightforward

biography.

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“mso-spacerun: yes;”>   It’s difficult to explain the plot

of the movie without spoiling the big points, but I will say that,

athough the movie is long, it never drags and keeps you interested

the whole time.

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“mso-spacerun: yes;”>   Jumping around in her story really

keeps the viewer at attention. The journey from street performer to

international star is an emotional and gripping one, drawing in the

audience.

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“mso-spacerun: yes;”>   While the story is great and flows

very well, what makes this movie fantastic is the perfect acting by

the main cast.

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“mso-spacerun: yes;”>   Marion Cotillard shines, portraying

Édith from her youth all the way to her last breath. Cotillard

truly deserves the Oscar and shows that she has incredible range as

an actor.

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“mso-spacerun: yes;”>   The supporting cast is outstanding,

with much of the cast portraying their characters over a 30-year

period.

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“mso-spacerun: yes;”>   Sylvie Testud plays Mômone, Édith’s

best friend from their late teens until the mid 1950s, and is

excellent, delivering a convincing performance.

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“mso-spacerun: yes;”>   The movie also won the Academy Award

for best makeup. The makeup in this movie is absolutely incredible,

aging the main cast by decades.

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“mso-spacerun: yes;”>   One moment in particular astonished

me. A very old Édith argues with a nurse, and I literally paused

the movie and looked online to see if a much older actor played the

older Édith (still played by Cotillard). The acting and makeup are

incredible and really make the movie the film that it

is.

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“mso-spacerun: yes;”>   The movie is not without very small

nitpicks. The length may cause some people to lose interest, and

obviously there is a lot of subtitles and reading, which I never

minded, but some people may find tedious.

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“mso-spacerun: yes;”>   “Le Vie En Rose” (also called “Le

Môme”) kicks off the French Film Festival, which runs from Oct. 7

through Nov. 4. This film is a work of art and shouldn’t be missed.

The film will be shown Oct. 7 at 8 p.m. in the Student Center

auditorium.  Admission is

free, and I encourage anyone who wants to expand their cultural

horizons to attend this excellent film.

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