“The Balconettes”: three flatmates spiral out of control

Her breakthrough performance in Portrait of a Lady on Fire (Portrait de la jeune fille en feu), presented in Competition 2019, saw her emerge as an actress at age 30. After skilfully portraying love and depth in this beautiful film by Céline Sciamma, she revealed the full spectrum of her comedic talent in Jacques Audiard’s Paris 13th District (Les Olympiades), in Competition in 2021 and The Innocent (L’Innocent) by Louis Garrel (Out of Competition, 2022). With each new performance, Noémie Merlant brilliantly explores another facet of her craft. Now, as protagonist of her own film, just like the previous one in which she starred alongside a group of her actress friends, she plays one of three wacky roommates imagined alongside co-writer Céline Sciamma. Rising star Souheila Yacoub and Sanda Codreanu, who was also in Mi Iubita mon amour, join her in this macabre farce with a humorous touch, where Noémie Merlant lets loose without restraint.

For her second directorial work, conceived as “an absurd and exhilarating frenzy”, the French filmmaker embraces the whimsical, while painting a realistic portrait of the female characters she depicts. As things spiral out of control, the three friends’ boozy evening takes a thrilling turn, following in the footsteps of the gory Asian horror films that this actress-turned-filmmaker so loves.