Writer/director/star Marta
Balletbò-Coll (Costa Brava) has been
called the Spanish Woody Allen for her smart, quirky, witty dialog, and Sévigné
won the 2005 award for the best Catalan film as well as awards in gay and lesbian
film festivals. It is a complex, sophisticated comedic drama, and both Balletbò-Coll
and co-star Anna Azcona give brilliant performances. Júlia (Azcona)
is a well known Barcelona actress and director married to a top theater critic
while also carrying on an affair with another man. Enter Marina (Balletbò-Coll),
who has written a play based on the intimate relationship between Madame de Sévigné
and her daughter. Júlia and Marina ready the script for the stage, with
the playwright unexpectedly allowing her beloved project to be severely edited.
As she explains to a former lover, Marina is under the influence of Júlia's
magnficent legs and shoulders. The supposedly heterosexual, fiftysomething
director is at a crossroads in her life and opens up as the two women closely
collaborate, both artistically and emotionally. Júlia is prompted to make
choices about keeping her conventional, dissatisfied life or following love and
the unknown with Marina, who is passionate about both Júlia and her work.
Especially if you are a fan of Spanish cinema, Sévigné
will impress. |