A wealthy, ageing woman who is beguilingly attractive gives a small fortune to a young gay man, after she is romantically attracted to him. A member of her family lodges a complaint about the financial and psychological abuse, which Marianne has demonstrated.
THE RICHEST WOMAN IN THE WORLD (La Femme la plus riche du monde). Starring Isabelle Huppert, Laurent Lafitte, Marina Fois and Mathieu Demy. Directed by Thierry Klifa. Rated M (Mature themes, coarse Language, nudity, and sexual references). 123 min.
Review by Peter W Sheehan, Jesuit Media Australia
This French-Belgian comedy drama is based loosely on an actual affair that involved a heiress to wealth associated with a highly successful business empire (the L’Oreal empire) in 2010.
In the film, Marianne Farrere, played by Isabelle Huppert, is a billionaire who echoes the title, “the richest woman in the world”. Marianne meets and falls in love with Pierre-Alain Fantin (Laurent Lafitte), a young Parisian writer and photographer, who takes financial advantage of her, and schemes to relieve her and her family, of millions of dollars. Marianne’s daughter, Frederique (Marina Fois), struggles with a lack of business acumen and family commitment: Frederique thoroughly objects to her family being taken advantage of by a young, gay man, and she launches a private investigation of her mother’s behaviour.
Marianne is heir to a fortune in a major cosmetics empire, and the liaison between her and Pierre-Alain forces her to reveal family secrets and financial entanglements that the family does not wish to make public. The film offers a heady parable about wealth and social influence that combines humour and tension with sharply observed social critique. The plot is complex, but its complexity serves to highlight the central tensions of a greedy, manipulative family very well. In the course of the movie, viewers are exposed to a scheming Dandy, a sexually promiscuous lover that Marianne adores, a family that is openly hostile to Frederique for having married a person not approved of, and a bitter daughter wanting vengeance.
Isabelle Huppert takes the lead role, and handles the various themes commandingly. It remains uncertain whether Pierre-Alain offered distraction to Marianne to help her cope with the dullness she saw around her, or there was something else at stake; and the plot really didn’t need “Jewishness” to become the issue to criticise Frederique’s marriage choice.
This is a compelling eye catching drama. Isabelle Huppert has taken better roles in the past, but she shines here with predictable talent and style.
Peter Sheehan