“As a period film that’s more than ready for 2018, COLETTE embodies the power of thinking forward in more ways than one.” -RogerEbert.com

Set in the Belle Epoque and with a screenplay initially written 17 years ago, COLETTE is a biopic that astutely examines gender and sexuality in ways that are more relevant than ever in 2018. But the journey to COLETTE was a long one for director Wash Westmoreland, who, alongside his co-writer and late husband Richard Glatzer, took the screenplay through over 15 drafts before finally bringing it to life. “This film could have found relevance at any time in the last hundred years,” Westmoreland states. He elaborates on that here:

While the real Colette was so far ahead of her time, her husband Willy was as well. Despite his villanous nature, Dominic West (THE WIRE, CHICAGO) plays him as sincere, charming and the life of the party. Together, Colette and Willy were an empire – capitalizing on the Claudine sensation and becoming what Westmoreland describes as “the John & Yoko of the era” or even the Kim and Kanye!

Keira Knightley, now known as the queen of period pieces, drives the film and shines in doing so. Rolling Stone raves, “A radiant, riveting Keira Knightley meets every challenge the title role of French novelist Colette throws at her and turns this tale of a pioneering feminist into an exhilarating kick.” After reading the screenplay and becoming “intrigued” by it, Knightley initially met Westmoreland via a FaceTime call. Westmoreland describes that meeting here:

Click here to visit our YouTube channel and see the full Q&A!

About the film:

From Director Wash Westmoreland (STILL ALICE), COLLETTE is being heralded by Variety as “one of the great roles for which Keira Knightley will be remembered.” Colette (Knightley) is transplanted from her childhood home to Paris after marrying successful writer Willy (Dominic West). After being convinced to ghostwrite for him Collete pens a semi-autobiographical novel about a witty and brazen country girl named Claudine, sparking a bestseller and a cultural sensation. After its success, Colette and Willy become the talk of Paris and their sexual adventures with other women inspire additional Claudine novels. Colette’s fight over creative ownership and gender roles drives her to overcome societal constraints, revolutionizing literature, fashion and sexual expression.

View the trailer:

Where to see it:

COLETTE is now playing at Angelika New York, Angelika Mosaic, Angelika Plano and Angelika Carmel Mountain.