Madame - A Movie Review

Did you find your ending?

Madame arrived in theaters in 2017. When they are short one visitor, a rich couple uses their maid as a makeshift guest to avoid an unlucky table of thirteen. The evening goes as planned, but a love story must be stopped when an aristocrat falls in love with the maid.

Madame is a distinct narrative of rich culture that reflects eye-opening perspectives. These are the movies I like watching. It’s a different type of romance film, mixed with a woman’s story to choose her own pathway.

I have a long list of movies with Toni Collette on my watch list. She is a talented actress who always finds new ways to challenge herself. She is brilliant in Madame as Anne, a high-class woman who is both snippy and reluctantly curious about how the other half lives. Collette masters powerful emotional countenance, but she is talented at subtle behavior.

Rossy de Palma has a rich acting history when I looked her up on IMDB. She plays Maria, a woman who has been a maid for most of her life. Maria doesn’t let social status deter her views. That’s my favorite trait about her. Palma did a good job with this character, particularly with how Maria studies her boss’s elegant world.

This film poses an intriguing character study and animosity between Anne and Maria. By no means is Anne a villain; she’s trapped in a vanity that she’s closely watched. Maria, who is not spiteful, never fires back at Anne’s remarks. She never treats anyone less than who they are and sees everyone as equal.

Harvey Keitel plays Anne’s husband, Bob. The film embraces a comical nature. I liked it when Anne and Bob followed Marie all over the city, questioning her choices about love. Their open relationship and the advantage of having everything made them miss out on life.

Madame also stars Michael Smiley, Brandan Patricks, Sonia Rolland, Stanislas Merhar, and an ensemble of dinner party guests. I giggled when they had discussions about the film Love, Actually (2003). You never think it’s a subject that arises at fancy dinners.

I only watch one minute of trailers before watching movies. The trailer for Madame mainly showcases the dinner sequence, which takes place at the beginning of the film. My original thought was that the whole film would be a dramatic dinner scene. Although I like stories that are set in one day, expanding stories over days helps us get to know characters more.

Shot largely on location in Paris, Regis Blondeau’s cinematography boasts elegant interiors of the film’s sophisticated world. I have paid more attention to technical elements in films, particularly cinematography. The visuals in Madame underscore the contrasts between the class divisions.

Madame is written and directed by Amanda Sthers, a French playwright. It’s semi-autobiographical about her childhood. Her father remarried a woman of high class, and experienced dinners and events like those presented in the film.

Madame is a unique story about social status, of which Amanda Sthers presents a thought-provoking commentary. The film asks these questions: ‘Why would you be a maid?’ and ‘Would you take advantage of money?’

This film is a satire and makes fun of itself. The characters' behaviors, Collette and Keital, are exaggerated. The film is not predictable, and keeps the story fresh with a blossoming romance. Other reviews have made references to Cinderella, and now I can’t unsee it.

Movies always have something new for audiences, so take a look at Madame. I liked the ending of the film. The story is charming and makes you laugh.