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:

female pubic hair | female full frontal nudity | nudity | female nudity | pantyhose | 

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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

Gross USA:

$1,851,517

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$4,728,401

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

Olivier Assayas and Juliette Binoche previously worked together on the film, Summer Hours (2008).

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Goofs

in part two, during Maria's discussion with her assistant, Juliette Binoche will be seen picking up her glass of wine with the right hand (front shot), then seen using her left hand (shot from the back)

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Quotes

Maria Enders: [Referring to Jo-Ann] She dives headfirst into a character's ambiguities, but I don't. That's why you admire what she does.
Valentine: Yeah. You know, I think that when you watch her in a movie like in the one we saw tonight, there is - there is no distance there.
Maria Enders: It's normal, it's a - culture. Right?
Valentine: Agreed.
Maria Enders: What's wrong with my acting? What do I need to do to make you admire me? Do I think too much? Huh? I'm too classical; not liberated like Jo-Ann? You're here to talk to me, so start talking.
Valentine: I don't ...
[...]

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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 Das Wolkenphänomen von Maloja (1924)

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Soundtracks

Trio Pour Violon, Violoncelle et Harp en Mi Min. Rondo
Composed by Louis Spohr
Cello by Susan Dorey
Violin by Sophie Langdon
Harp by Hugh Webb
© Kapagama / Naxos Rights US, Inc.

User Reviews

A splendid acting work in overall

The movie didn't present a story that's easy to relate to for most viewers. I think even for movie enthusiasts the core story doesn't really click into their minds. It also doesn't get presented well enough at the opening stages. The movie builds the characters well enough at the early stages then starts to present the core story and letting the main conflict seeps in into the whole bigger picture. Thus this movie feels so very slow that it kind of bored me to the first hour or so. But the acting work is very much a splendid job in overall. The three main cast did their parts very greatly immersing in their own respective characters and depicting the right emotions and mannerisms. Julieete Binoche being with the most screen time here did great in exploring her character and her character's anxieties. Kristen Stewart did also very well to develop herself past Twilight movies. She adequately balances Binoche in their dialog parts. Chloe Grace Moretz did a great job in depicting the rebellious star, and she did great to portray a huge difference between the hangover press conference scene and the crucial hiding from paparazzi scene.