A film in which the actress becomes the star...

Rating: 9/10 (3 July 2009)

"La Vein Rose" took home two academy awards in 2008. One for make up and the other for Best Actress. I was disappointed in the Academy that year, because all of the acting awards were given to non-American actors and with the fact that they keep nominating movies that I either (a) I can't find in theaters or (b) never heard of. I never heard of "La Vein Rose" until I saw the academy awards that night. And I've never heard of Marion Cotillard.
Now that it's on DVD, and finally available at the library, I checked it out along with "A Very Long Engagement" another film that Marion Cotillard is in. I've seen her in three movies now, this marking the most recent.
When I started watching this film, I was captivated by the brilliant camera cues and splendid work of the cinematographer. In addition, the voice of the real Edith Piaf brings a sense of joy to my ears. The first two acts are interesting, developing Edith's disturbing childhood and cutting between her as an old lady, delivering one drunken bout after another, yet I was still intrigued.
Flying into the third act, the movie gets very interesting. From the director's point of view, it seems that Edith was a poster for abuse. Her parents neglected her and her so-called "friends" treated her like a piece of "dog wet meat". But I'm still intrigued. I've seen many movies and many great performances. Not many female lead performances touch my heart, however, Cotillard has a magic about that.
Her work reminded me very much of John Hurt's as the "Elephant Man" in the aspect that she is covered in gallons of make up and limps around, but underneath all of that self-pity and despair is a person. Her eyes tell so much about her character. I love her, yet I pity her. She's charming but also cruel. In it of themselves her eyes tell a story. What I'm trying to say is that I did not see an actress at work. I see a character, a person who was real. That's what I call brilliant acting.
Being a drunken drug abuser, singer, and limping around is easy to do, but Cotillard is not all about imitations. She becomes the character. When she smiles, I smile. When she cries, my heart sinks. Cotillard's work is pure genius. I don't like it when the academy decides to give all the awards to foreign films, but Cotillard's Oscar was very well deserved. I will go so far as to say that her performance is not only a personal favorite of mine but also among the best a woman has ever delivered.
The technical work for this film is also desirable, but Cotillard makes the film. "La Vein Rose" is far from a favorite film of mine, but again, Cotillard's performance will be one I'll never forget it.
My rating: ***1/2 out of ****