{"id":17205,"date":"2025-07-23T23:56:08","date_gmt":"2025-07-23T23:56:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/17205\/"},"modified":"2025-07-23T23:56:08","modified_gmt":"2025-07-23T23:56:08","slug":"noemie-merlant-directs-revenge-horror-comedy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/17205\/","title":{"rendered":"No\u00e9mie Merlant Directs Revenge Horror-Comedy"},"content":{"rendered":"

No\u00e9mie Merlant<\/a>\u2018s second directorial feature marks a reunion with one of her most iconic collaborators: Her \u201cPortrait of a Lady on Fire\u201d director C\u00e9line Sciamma<\/a>, who co-wrote Merlant\u2019s latest film<\/a> \u201cThe Balconettes<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n

Merlant once again transforms onscreen in the role of C-list actress \u00c9lise, who has recently been cast as\u00a0Marilyn Monroe\u00a0in a TV movie. \u201cThe Balconettes\u201d centers on a trio of roommates (one of whom is \u00c9lise) that \u201cmeddle\u00a0in the lives of their neighbors from their\u00a0Marseilles\u00a0balcony\u00a0during a sweltering heat wave, until a late-night drink spirals into a bloody confrontation,\u201d as the logline reads. The feature co-stars Souheila Yacoub,\u00a0Sanda Codreanu, and\u00a0Lucas Bravo, who filmed \u201cThe Balconettes\u201d right before Melanie Laurent\u2019s true crime caper \u201cFreedom.\u201d Bravo previously told IndieWire<\/a> that his turn in \u201cThe Balconettes\u201d was a \u201cvery demanding role\u201d as he was playing a \u201csociopath.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"PARK<\/a> \"Atmosphere<\/a> <\/p>\n

Merlant made her feature directorial debut with \u201cMi Ubita, Mon Amour\u201d in 2020. \u201cThe Balconettes\u201d premiered at the 2024\u00a0Cannes\u00a0Film Festival.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The IndieWire review<\/a> deemed the feature to be a \u201cphysically uninhibited and formally unbound rape-revenge horror-comedy,\u201d with critic David Ehrlich writing, \u201cNo\u00e9mie Merlant\u00a0has never shied away from an opportunity to redefine how female bodies are depicted on\u00a0film, and \u2018The Portrait of a Lady on Fire\u2019 star\u2019s recent pivot behind the camera has only emboldened her efforts to reject the male gaze by inviting her characters to reclaim its oppressive hyper-sexualization on their own terms.\u00a0For all of the gravity that Merlant reserves for her film\u2019s treatment of rape, \u2018The Balconettes\u2019 refuses to become a po-faced #MeToo drama that defines its characters by the same kind of threats they exist to defy. On the contrary, it leans into the tonal chaos of life on earth, creating an impressively layered genre mishmash that reflects the complex reality of how women are seen in the world, and how they see themselves in return.\u201d <\/p>\n

The film was later acquired by indie distributor The Forge in October 2024. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s such a joy to know that\u00a0\u2018The Balconettes\u2019 is being released in the United States, the country of cinema,\u201d Merlant said in a press statement to IndieWire.\u00a0\u201cSharing the film there feels deeply meaningful to me, because so much of my love for storytelling was shaped by American film culture. To see this strange, fearless little movie find its audience in such a historic space for cinema is an emotional milestone. This is a film we made with our hearts and our guts: together, as a team, and in close collaboration with C\u00e9line Sciamma. It\u2019s a love cry for creative freedom, for genre-mixing, for bold ideas and joyful chaos. But at its core, it\u2019s a film about sisterhood, and a scream against the patriarchy: against all the forces that try to shame, silence, and control us. It\u2019s a wild ride: violent, funny, tender, and unruly. My hope is that it makes people feel a little more free, and a little less alone.\u201d <\/p>\n

The Forge\u00a0CEO Mark Sayre praised Merlant\u2019s singular vision for her sophomore film. \u201c\u2019The Balconettes\u2019 doesn\u2019t just play with genre,\u00a0it detonates it,\u201d Sayre said.\u00a0\u201cNo\u00e9mie\u00a0[Merlant]\u00a0has made a film that\u2019s as uncontainable as the women at its center: wild, funny, furious, and alive with risk. We couldn\u2019t look away, and we didn\u2019t want to. Releasing this movie feels less like a business decision and more like a dare. One we\u2019re proud to take.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Forge Head of Acquisitions Decker Sadowski, who brokered the deal, added, \u201cWe\u2019re thrilled to bring\u00a0The Balconettes\u00a0to North American audiences.\u00a0No\u00e9mie Merlant has delivered a bold, genre-defying debut that\u2019s as poignant as it is funny. It\u2019s a singular vision that reflects the kind of daring, original storytelling we\u2019re proud to champion at The Forge.\u201d <\/p>\n

The Forge will also be premiering M\u0101ori\u00a0coming-of-age drama \u201cWe Were Dangerous\u201d soon in addition to \u201cThe Balconettes.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Forge\u00a0will release \u201cThe Balconettes\u201d at the\u00a0IFC Center\u00a0in New York City and the\u00a0Landmark\u2019s\u00a0Nuart\u00a0Theatre\u00a0in Los Angeles\u00a0in theaters Friday, August 22\u00a0through\u00a0Thursday, August 28, followed by a sustained release in additional markets. Check out the trailer below. <\/p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"No\u00e9mie Merlant\u2018s second directorial feature marks a reunion with one of her most iconic collaborators: Her \u201cPortrait of…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":17206,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[64,63,18354,134,1689,344,18355,18356,13293],"class_list":["post-17205","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-movies","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-cu00e9line-sciamma","tag-entertainment","tag-film","tag-movies","tag-nou00e9mie-merlant","tag-the-balconettes","tag-trailers"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17205","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17205"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17205\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/17206"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17205"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17205"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17205"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}