Marion Cottilard's flawless portrayal

Rating: 9/10 (2 August 2019)

For French audiences, no introduction is necessary to the film La Vie en Rose, the biopic of "The Little Sparrow", Edith Piaf. American audiences will probably think this is the first and only film about the famous French chanteuse, but it's just the first and only one to be honored by the Academy Awards. Marion Cottilard famously popped up out of nowhere-to Americans-and won a gold statuette for her flawless portrayal of the French icon. Her performance is truly moving. I can't speak for French audiences, just as French audiences have a different view of how American icons are portrayed, but to American audiences, she embodies the role.
Told in a non-linear structure, snippets of Edith Piaf's life are strung together, distinguishable only by the makeup on Marion's face. When she's younger, she has a fresh face. When she's becoming a star, she's wearing makeup and starting to paint in her eyebrows. When she's an icon, she has an enormous amount of makeup and a fragile posture. The scene order is a bit confusing, but if you watch it more than once, like I did, or really pay attention to the make-up, it's easier to understand.
To my fellow Americans, if you don't immediately register the name of Edith Piaf, I guarantee you know who she is. She's that distinctly French singing voice you always hear when a restaurant or movie is trying to conjure the mood. And, of course, she sang the title song before Louis Armstrong did. There's an adorable bed and breakfast I like to go to on the coast that's all French-themed, and every time a guest checks into his room, a CD of Edith Piaf plays softly from the nightstand stereo.
So, if you're at all a fan of French music, French movies, or biopics of 20th century singers, you've got to see this movie. It's as much a modern classic to France as Chicago is to America. And what's a classic French movie without Gérard Depardieu? He plays a nightclub owner who spots Edith Piaf's talent and gives her a break.
DLM warning: If you suffer from vertigo or dizzy spells, like my mom does, this movie might not be your friend. There are a few camera swirls throughout the movie that will make you sick. In other words, "Don't Look, Mom!"