Angelina Jolie's latest film, 'Couture', delves into the life of a single mother and director, Maxine, who receives a breast cancer diagnosis while juggling a film commission and a divorce. The movie, written and directed by Alice Winocour, is a personal reflection of Jolie's own experiences, mirroring her preventive double mastectomy due to the BRCA1 gene. The film's title, 'Couture', is a metaphor for the raw, unfiltered, and vulnerable moments in life, much like the scars that Maxine and the other characters bear.
Jolie's character, Maxine, is a director with a punk spirit and raw energy, much like Jolie herself. Her fighting spirit, she says, is 'finally back' thanks to her children, who encourage her to get back to aspects of herself that she hadn't felt free to do. This is a stark contrast to her previous life, where she had decided to quit acting before her divorce from Brad Pitt. Jolie's decision to return to acting was influenced by the need to be home more and to take her children with her, as well as the opportunity to make a good amount of money.
The film also explores the theme of solidarity and the importance of human connection. The three main characters, Maxine, a makeup artist and aspiring writer, and a new model who travels to Paris for the first time, find themselves meeting each other at pivotal and vulnerable times in their lives. The film celebrates life together, showing the wounds behind the perfect images and the people who are connecting to each other and sharing things together.
One of the most powerful scenes in the film is when a doctor outlines Maxine's incision lines with red ink on her bare chest ahead of undergoing a double mastectomy. Jolie said that Vincent Lindon, who plays the physician, was so convincing that she felt as if he was with a real doctor. The scene brought back memories of her own health journey, and she felt a sense of vulnerability and uncertainty about her future.
Jolie's personal experiences with cancer and her own health journey have had a profound impact on her life. She has raised her children almost preparing them for her absence and not as much preparing to be a grandmother. This is a stark reminder of the reality of death and the importance of living in the moment. The film 'Couture' is a powerful reflection of these experiences and a celebration of the human spirit and the importance of human connection.
