NELLY
Year: 2016
Country:
CANADA
Language:
French
Run Time:
101 minutes
The first things everybody noticed about Nelly Arcan were her sky-blue eyes and gorgeous figure. Yet she was a serious writer who felt a constant, humiliating pull between her appearance and the substance of her work. Nelly’s first novel Whore caused a sensation in the French-Canadian literary world in 2001. Detailing the life of a prostitute named Cynthia, it was based on Nelly’s experience as a sex worker. Nelly wrote semi-autobiographical and scandalous novels, short stories, opinion pieces, and columns—as well as a coffee-table book on beauty. Director Anne Émond presents Nelly as a composite of the four types of women she tried to be: glamour girl, writer, junkie, and whore. Convinced she’s no good, Nelly seeks out humiliation. Inhaling reviews of her “performances” as a hooker and a writer, she both loathes and loves being judged. Inspired by the life and work of Nelly Arcan, NELLY is a kaleidoscopic study of loneliness and female sexuality. Mylène Mackay’s performance as Nelly is astonishing. (In French with subtitles) —B.B.
CIFF41 Screenings
Thursday, April 06, 2017 at 9:15 PM
Friday, April 07, 2017 at 5:15 PM
Sidebar
WOMEN OF THE WORLD
Competition
Reel Women Direct Award for Excellence in Directing by a Woman
Director
Anne Émond
Anne Émond, based in Montréal, studied cinema at the University of Quebec. Her films have screened to acclaim at the Locarno and Toronto International Film Festivals. At the 2012 Canadian Genie Awards, her "Nuit #1" was named the year's Best Feature Film by a first-time director.
Filmography
"Nuit #1" (2011), "Our Loved Ones" (2015), NELLY (2016)
Producer
Nicole Robert
Screenwriting
Anne Émond
Cinematography
Josée Deshaies
Editing
Mathieu Bouchard-Malo
Principal Cast
Mylène Mackay, Mylia Corbeil-Gauvreau, Mickaël Gouin, Sylvie Drapeau, Catherine Brunet, Francis Leplay
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