6.7/10
27,753
107 user 294 critic

Clouds of Sils Maria (2014)

Trailer
2:12 | Trailer
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
20 wins & 45 nominations. See more awards »

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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 Stuart Manashil ... Maria's Agent
Peter Farkas Peter Farkas ... Journalist in Zürich
Ben Posener ... Journalist in London
Ricardia Bramley Ricardia Bramley ... Talk Show Host
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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 ... Written by Huggo

Plot Summary | Plot Synopsis

Genres:

Drama

Certificate:

M | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

View content advisory »
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Did You Know?

Trivia

Olivier Assayas and Juliette Binoche previously worked together on the film, L'heure d'été (2008). See more »

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. See more »

Quotes

Maria Enders: To excel and to know how to show it is to excel twice.
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Crazy Credits

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


Soundtracks

"Paavin of Albarti'
Composed by Innocentio Alberti'
Performed by Hespèrion Xx, Conducted by Jordi Savall
[From the Album Elizabethan Consort Music: 1558-1603]
(p) 1998 Alia Vox
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User Reviews

 
Meta-cinema
5 January 2015 | by joris-nightwalkerSee all my reviews

Former film critic Olivier Assayas is probably one of those few people who inspire me on a creative level. Not that strange if you consider one of Assayas' own influences: anarchist and situationist Guy Debord. French intellectuals in the 1960s were, in my opinion, too often needlessly complex theoretically and parlor socialists or would-be revolutionaries politically. In contrast, Debord's refreshing anarchist views were typical for the radicality of the 1968-generation and were more about individual freedom, artistic aspirations and fighting against a new form of determinism: consumption. In that respect, Assayas' Après mai was one of the best films I've seen in years. In Clouds of Sils Maria he puts on his meta-shoes and tells the story about an older actress who'll perform in the same play she did when she was young: Juliette Binoche plays Maria Enders who plays Helena. In the meanwhile Valentine (a brilliant Kristen Stewart, who would've expected?!), the personal assistant of Maria, resembles a version of Maria when she was young. Joanne Ellis (Chloë Grace Moretz), an up-and-coming actress with the reputation of a troublemaker, is Maria's co-star in the theater play. But when the play (about a young girl (Sigrid) who seduces an older woman (Helena)) starts to reflect reality (especially because Maria used to play Sigrid herself), the film begins to get an extra - metaphorical - layer. In the end we are confronted with thoughts about time, change, fame, getting older and conflict between generations. Clouds of Sils Maria is a beautiful film with some very good acting, especially by Stewart. It also raises interesting questions about contemporary stardom and transience. Nevertheless, this movie is (feels?) less personal than Assayas' previous one and therefor misses a bit of the uppercut I was hoping for.


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Frequently Asked Questions

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Details

Country:

France | Germany | Switzerland

Language:

English | French | German | Swiss German

Release Date:

12 March 2015 (New Zealand) See more »

Also Known As:

Clouds of Sils Maria See more »

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Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$61,810, 12 April 2015

Gross USA:

$1,851,517

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$4,728,401
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Company Credits

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Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital EX

Color:

Color | Black and White (archive footage)

Aspect Ratio:

2.40 : 1
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