ROSE – CLOSING GALA
dir. Aurelie Saada, France, 2021, 102 min
POLISH PREMIERE. SECTION: WOMEN VOICES
Rose, 78-year-old, has just lost her beloved husband. When her grief gives way to a powerful impulse to live her life, making her realize that she can still redefine herself as a woman, the whole balance of the family is upset... Actress and now debuting director, writer and composer Aurélie Saada pours a tremendous amount of personal nostalgia into Rose, a heightened emotional drama steeped in love for her North African Jewish roots, from music (all written by Saada) to food — the credits even include her recipe for “makroudh,” a date-filled cookie. The film stars legendary French actress Françoise Fabian (Luis Bunuel's Belle de Jour and Eric Rohmer's My Night at Maud’s) as a recent widow whose sorrow gives way to a deep thirst for life. This helps her realize that there is still time for her to redefine herself as a woman, all while emerging from under her children’s straight jacketing concerns. Rose is an all-embracing effusion of Jewishness, both Sephardi and Ashkenazi, that promises to be a sure-fire crowd-pleaser.
FESTIVALS, AWARDS: 2021 Festival International de Film Saint-Jean-de-Luz Grand Prix Best Film, 2021 Locarno International Film Festival Won Variety Piazza Grande Award.