Certainly a divisive movie. I thought it was stunning and touching.

Rating: 10/10 (28 October 2006)

Odds are you will either greatly enjoy this film, or leave the theater wondering what the hell the point was. I fall firmly into the first category.
This movie isn't a glorification of superficiality; it's the story of a woman who was taken as a young girl and forced into a society that had no place for depth or feeling, especially for a woman. Thus, she escapes by throwing herself into frivolity. Sofia Coppola does a fantastic job capturing the meandering, shallow, every-day-is-the-same feeling that must have dominated the aristocracy of the time. No, this movie doesn't concern itself with the politics of the day, nor does it blame Marie for not involving herself. This movie may seem at times to be a sequence of pictures, but the point is that that was what life was like for these people; a constant sequence of material possessions and sweet pastries. And Marie was caught in the middle of it all, without an outlet for her feelings, and unable to know any better.
A fantastic movie, and one of the best of the year.