The Balconettes

The film, directed by Noémie Merlant, who also acts and co-writes the script alongside Céline Sciamma, is a feature that does not shy away from provoking mixed reactions, ranging from enthusiasm to discomfort.

The plot is set in Marseille, in southern France, during a heatwave. The camera glides from one balcony to another in a homage to Hitchcockian style until it reaches an apartment where Nicole (Sanda Codreanu), a writer with a marked voyeuristic inclination, and Ruby (Souheila Yacoub, "Dune: Part Two"), an extroverted camgirl who embodies sexual freedom, coexist. They are joined by Élise (Noémie Merlant), a desperate actress trapped in a toxic relationship, who dresses like Marilyn Monroe. Everything takes an unexpected turn after a night of debauchery when Ruby returns to the apartment covered in blood and visibly shaken.

Within the "rape and revenge" subgenre, Merlant focuses on male violence, drawing from personal experiences that range from her time as a model to her current trajectory in film. From these experiences, she constructs an extravagant, vibrant fable with a strong reivindicative tone, in collaboration with Céline Sciamma, winner of the Best Screenplay Award at the Cannes Film Festival for "Portrait of a Lady on Fire." The film had its world premiere in the Official Selection (Midnight Screening) at the Cannes Film Festival and its Spanish premiere at the Atlàntida Mallorca Film Fest.