The Lacemaker

Plot

In Paris, the shy and virginal Béatrice (known as "Pomme") lives with her mother and works in a hairdressing salon, where her only friend is the lively Marylène. Left by her lover, Marylène suggests that the two girls take a holiday by the sea at Cabourg. There Marylène soon goes off with a new man, leaving Béatrice on her own.

Befriended by the shy student François, the two become lovers and Béatrice moves into his room in Paris. Though he introduces her to his well-off parents and his intellectual friends, she is unable to mix in their worlds. Her deep reserve begins to annoy him and they split up. Losing interest in life, she ends up in a mental hospital.

Full of remorse, François visits her but she wants nothing: she has found a quiet place that suits her inwardness. In her silent anonymity, she is like the unknown girls in paintings such as Vermeer's The Lacemaker.

Cast

Isabelle Huppert as Pomme

Yves Beneyton as François

Florence Giorgetti as Marylène

Annemarie Düringer as Pomme's mother (as Anne-Marie Düringer)

Renate Schroeter as Marianne (as Renata Schroeter)

Monique Chaumette as the mother of François

Jean Obé as the father of François

Christian Baltauss as Gérard, partner of Marianne

Sabine Azéma as Corinne (as Sabine Azema)

Reception

On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 86% based on 7 reviews, with an average rating of 8.7/10.

Awards and nominations

BAFTA Awards (UK)

Won: Most Promising Newcomer to Leading Film Roles (Isabelle Huppert)

1977 Cannes Film Festival (France)

Won Prize of the Ecumenical Jury (Claude Goretta; tied with J.A. Martin photographe)

Nominated: Golden Palm (Claude Goretta)

César Awards (France)

Nominated: Best Actress – Leading Role (Isabelle Huppert)

Nominated: Best Actress – Supporting Role (Florence Giorgetti)

Nominated: Best Film

David di Donatello Awards (Italy)

Won: Best Foreign Actress (Isabelle Huppert)