Film Review: La Vie en Rose

Director: Olivier Dahn

A 2007 French biographical film about the life of French singer Edith Piaf. The films title comes from the signature song which was sung by Edith Piaf and resulted in an Academy Award for Marion Cotillaird in the Best Actress category. The songs were mimed by Marion Cotillaird and the original music and voice of Edith Piaf was used during the performances.

The film jumps between different timelines but tells the story of Edith growing up just after the war in Paris before she is whisked off to stay in a brothel in Normandy with her grandmother. We then see Edith's rise to fame after being spotted singing in the street and the tragedies that happened during her life that drove her to alcohol and drug dependency.

Edith Piaf (Marion Cotillaird)

Marion Cotillaird is completely unrecognizable in her role as Edith Piaf, I'm not particularly familiar with the life and works of Piaf but I'm reliable informed that Cotillaird is incredibly accurate in her depiction. The scenes when she is playing Piaf near the end of her life as an old woman are stark yet wholly convincing that this 27 year old actress, at the time, is playing a 47 year old alcoholic who looks about 60. Many of the other characters pale into insignificance by comparison.

The non-linear plot was un-necessary in the most part as we jumped into different parts of her life in an almost completely random order. It certainly left me confused as to where in her life we were upto and who some of the other characters were. The whole ensemble would have had a greater flow and been easier to watch for viewers who are not that knowledgeable about her life, such as myself. This plot device also adds to the uneven pace as the film slows dramatically in the second half but finishing with a fantastic finale does save it. This is more a film worth seeing more for the acting ability of its star than anything else.

3/4 Truly amazing performance by Marion Cotillaird but non-linear plot is deeply confusing