Aline (film)
Aline is a 2021 French-Canadian musical comedy-drama film co-written, directed by and starring Valérie Lemercier. A fictionalized portrayal of the life of Céline Dion, Lemercier plays "Aline Dieu", a Canadian singer who rises to international superstardom. Lemercier plays Aline at every stage of her life from childhood through to middle age, with her body and face digitally adjusted for age-appropriateness in post-production. However, her singing is performed by French singer Victoria Sio. "Aline" had its world premiere on 13 July 2021 at the Cannes Film Festival, and was released in France on 10  November 2021 by Gaumont, and in Canada on 26 November 2021 by Maison 4:3. It received mixed reviews from the critics and earned four nominations at the 47th Annual César Awards, including Best Film, and with Lemercier winning for Best Actress. Release. The film premiered at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival, and had its Canadian premiere in November 2021. In advance of its Canadian release, the Dion family spoke out against the film, criticizing it for factual inaccuracies and for portraying their family as "a gang of Bougons". The film was approved by Dion's manager; Dion herself has not  spoken about it publicly to date, although Lemercier has claimed that Dion's son René-Charles reached out to her to request a private viewing. Reception. On AlloCiné, the film holds an average rating of 4.1/5 based on 35 press reviews. Kyle Buchanan of "The New York Times" opined that Lemercier's decision to play the character throughout her life was the strangest aspect of the film: For "Variety", Peter Debruge wrote that "Lemercier wouldn’t dare offend Dion, nor would she dream of giving fans the slightest reason to question their devotion, and so 'Aline' comes off feeling like  a faith-based movie, where Dieu (French for 'God') gets the reverential 'lives of the saints' treatment. For those who adjust their expectations accordingly, it’s still an extremely satisfying watch — just one in which the only conflicts are convincing Aline’s parents to accept her love for manager Guy-Claude (Sylvain Marcel), the couple attempting to get pregnant and a tricky period when Aline’s vocal cords nearly give out. Suffice to say, most of the film’s tears are those of joy." Accolades. At the 47th Annual César Awards, "Aline" scored 10 nominations including Best Film, Best Original  Screenplay, Best Actress and Best Director. Lemercier won in the Best Actress category.