Customer Reviews

Brodeuses (Region 1 DVD) (Original French Version - with English Subtitles)

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"Brodeuses" (2004) aka "A Common Thread"- a first feature by Éléonore Faucher is a simple, moving and beautiful film about two unhappy and lonely women, a pregnant unmarried teenager Claire and Madame Mélikian (Ascaride), an older woman grieving over the death of her only son in a motorcycle accident. Claire becomes an assistant for Madam Melikian, an embroiderer for haute couture Parisian designers. Slowly, both women come to need and value each other; they form a close bond through their mutual love for embroidery. Their true friendship will be one of the reasons for Claire to make a very important decision about her future baby. Visually, the film is a work of an exceptional beauty. Almost unknown, it is as exquisite as "Girl with a Pearl Earring" - Lola Naymark (Claire) could've been easily a Vermeer's model with her face of rare charm that shines in every frame and her impossibly beautiful long red hair. Both Naymard and Ariane Ascaride (Madam Melikian) gave outstanding performances in the movie with no bad performances at all.

I must first state that I have only seen this movie on 35mm, and that this particular showing allowed the beautiful filter-/hue- work to show through. I do not know how much of this has been lost in the process of converting the movie to a digital format. I would think that the movie will critically suffer the more that the hues are lost. This is a slightly non-traditional movie in terms of modern French cinema; but, this is what made it so pleasing.