FFFA: The Balconettes

Les femmes au balcon

NSW Premiere

“Merlant piles up saturated, hot-hued melodrama, garrulous female bonding and cheerful lashings of blood and sex.” – Variety

“One of the most distinguished artistic visions on the Croisette.” – Cineuropa

Star of Portrait of a Lady on Fire and Tár, Noémie Merlant directs and acts in this vibrant, gory horror-comedy, which she wrote in collaboration with her Portrait of a Lady on Fire director Céline Sciamma.

Marseille is struck by a sweltering heatwave. Roommates Nicole, a shy romance novelist, and Ruby, a sex-positive cam-girl, are visited by their friend Élise (Merlant), an actor currently playing Marilyn Monroe in a film, who’s flustered from getting constant phone calls from her possessive husband.

Nicole has been quietly admiring their handsome neighbour across the street (Lucas Bravo, Emily in Paris) from her balcony. So, extraverted Ruby takes charge and charms the hunky neighbour into inviting the three women over to his apartment for drinks. What they hoped would be a night of sexy, sweaty flirtation turns violent, and the Balconettes must band together as the situation reaches boiling point.

Festivals & Awards
Cannes Film Festival 2024 – Nominee, Queer Palm BFI London Film Festival 2024 Gothenburg Film Festival 2025

Rating

Unclassified 18+

Duration

104 min

Country

France

Language

French (English Subtitles)

Cast

Noémie Merlant, Souheila Yacoub, Sanda Codreanu

Director

Noémie Merlant