Clouds of Sils Maria (2014)

A film star comes face-to-face with an uncomfortable reflection of herself while starring in a revival of the play that launched her career.

Director:

Olivier Assayas

Writer:

Olivier Assayas

Stars:

Juliette Binoche, Kristen Stewart, Chloë Grace Moretz

19 wins & 42 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Juliette Binoche	...	Maria Enders
Kristen Stewart	...	Valentine
Chloë Grace Moretz	...	Jo-Ann Ellis
Lars Eidinger	...	Klaus Diesterweg
Johnny Flynn	...	Christopher Giles
Angela Winkler	...	Rosa Melchior
Hanns Zischler	...	Henryk Wald
Nora von Waldstätten	...	Actress in Sci-fi Movie
Brady Corbet	...	Piers Roaldson
Aljoscha Stadelmann	...	Urs Kobler
Claire Tran	...	Maria's London Assistant
Stuart Manashil	...	Maria's Agent
Peter Farkas	...	Journalist in Zürich
Ben Posener	...	Journalist in London
Ricardia Bramley	...	Talk Show Host

Storyline

The first real professional success for famed French actress Maria Enders was twenty years ago as the co-lead in writer Wilhelm Melchoir's play and subsequent movie "Maloja Snake", he who picked Maria, then an unknown, personally. She played Sigrid, an opportunistic eighteen year old in an emotionally dependent lesbian relationship with forty year old Helena, who was at a vulnerable stage of her life. Maria has turned down the play's upcoming London revival in which she would now play Helena, it remounted by director Klaus Diesterweg. Her reasons for turning down the role are many including: being at a vulnerable stage of her own life going through a painful divorce; remembering the suicide of Susan Rosenberg, the original Helena, following the original run of the play, the suicide purportedly mirroring what happens to Helena; and the painful memories of the production in still having hard feelings toward who was her older male costar, Henryk Wald, with who she had an affair at the ...

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Plot Keywords:

nudity | female nudity | voyeurism | voyeur | mini skirt | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language and brief graphic nudity

Details

Official Sites:

Juliette Binoche: The Art of Being - Official Fansite Official site [Japan]

Country:

France Germany Switzerland

Language:

English French German Swiss German

Release Date:

20 August 2014 (France)

Also Known As:

Sils Maria

Filming Locations:

Sils-Maria, Kanton Graubünden, Switzerland

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$61,810, 12 April 2015, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$1,811,138, 28 June 2015

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$4,733,798, 31 December 2015

Company Credits

Production Co:

CG Cinéma, Pallas Film, CAB Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

124 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital EX

Color:

Color Black and White (archive footage)

Aspect Ratio:

2.40 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Kristen Stewart was offered the role of Valentine and wanted to accept, but a misunderstanding with her agent led to another actress (Wasikowska) being cast. Stewart reached out to rectify what happened and was offered the role of Jo-Ann Ellis, but was unsure. Wasikowska later dropped out and Stewart was officially cast as Valentine.

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Goofs

In the opening, the characters are riding in what is clearly a second-class rail car. This would be completely out of character, given what we see later in the movie.

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Quotes

Jo-Ann Ellis: You know, it's incredibly brave of you to take on the role of Helena. It's - it's a way of dealing with time.
Maria Enders: Well, I dunno, sometimes I - I tell myself that it's just a job, and I'll be happy to move on when it's over.

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Crazy Credits

During the closing credits, four of the actors are shown under the heading "guest appearance by".

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Connections

References Forbidden Planet (1956)

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Soundtracks

Concert at the Waldaus
Composed by George Frideric Handel
Performed by Phoebe Lin (cello), Katarzyna Nawrotek (violin), David Seghezzo (oboe) and Claire-Anne Piguet (harpsichord)

User Reviews

Ambiguity

Ambiguity is the key world of this film. You are the major actor in the sense that your interpretation makes the film. Each scene is so ambiguous that you can always interpret it in various manners so in the end _you_ are the director. When Maria and Val work on the text, rehearse the play, the feelings are so mingled that you are the one who decide if they are those of Helena- Sigrid or rather Maria-Val. Reality is entangled. I loved the Alps hiking shots and overall the mysterious Maloja snake. I would have rated it a 9 to the Writer-Director Olivier Assayas but reduced it to a 8 because I was disappointed in Juliette Binoche's performance. She is usually better than in this film, it is as if she didn't feel like acting this character, a bit like what happens in the film itself. At several occasions her laugh is artificial and fake. She is obviously ill at ease in this character, which proves what I wrote before about entangled reality between the film itself and the play prepared in the film. I'm not sure I am very clear but those who have seen and felt/perceived the movie as I, will understand.