Stockholm Film Festival

One could easily dub 2009 the year of Coco Chanel, judging from the cinematic indulgence in the life of the legendary fashion icon. Following the 2008 TV documentary and this year's "Coco Before Chanel", this deep-diving biopic captures the brief romance between Chanel and Stravinsky, which began to develop in 1913.

Chanel, by then an up-and-coming designer, attends the infamous premiere of the Russian composer's modernist ballet "The Rite of Spring". The show causes uproar in the reactionary salons of the French capital, but Chanel, known for her independence and admirance of groundbreaking art and rebelliousness, takes an instant liking to Stravinsky's iconoclasm. Eventually, the two artistic geniuses embark on a secret, sexually charged affair, causing their respective creativity to burst.

Director Jan Kounen provides a fascinating insight into what it might have been like when the paths of two of the greatest artists of the 20th century collided. Chanel's immortal style and Stravinsky's music fold together, creating an irresistible era-defining framework. Fashion might pass but style remains - in haute couture as in great movies.
REBECKA AHLBERG

Cast

Mads Mikkelsen, Anna Mouglalis, Anatole Taubman

Producer

Chris Bolzli, Claudie Ossard

Script

Chris Greenhalgh

Cinematography

David Ungaro

Music

Gabriel Yared

Spoken language

English, French, Russian

Subtitle

Swedish

 

Other films from the Open Zone section

See all the festival films from 2009