It's 1892 France. Struggling self-important writer Willy (Dominic West) woos naive country girl Colette (Keira Knightley). They get married and live in Paris. He wastes their money on his mistress and other things. With their money struggles, he finds her journals and adapt them into a novel. It becomes highly successful and spawns a vast industry. He pushes her to write more material. He has more mistresses and she would have a long term love affair with a divorced woman named Missy. Colette would battle Willy over her authorship on the road to becoming one of France's great female writers.

Right from the start, Willy is an annoying old guy creeping on a young girl. It's toxic from the very beginning. It's an infuriating and tiresome relationship to watch. That's why I would cut out some of their early stuff and bring in Missy earlier. There is more drama to be found in the battle over her authorship. It's a compelling story of female empowerment but it's not a compelling watch. I like Keira in this and Dominic does what's required. This needs to make Willy the full villain and turn up the drama.

Here we have "Colette", an award-winning 2018 film directed by the man who directed Julianne Moore to Oscar glory: Wash Westmoreland. He is also one of the writers here and he collaborated with the late Richard Glatzer (not their only cooperation) on the script and he is the one who wrote the original story this 110-minute film is based on. The title character is palyed by Oscar-nominated actress Keira Knightley and boy is she stunning here, maybe the most attractive actress in her mid-30s these days. But her performance is good as well I think. I honestly don't think the character is as baity or offers as much as you'd expect before seeing this film, but she makes it work. This also has to do with her male co-lead Dominic West here (The Affair, The Square) and I think these two had pretty good chemistry, also despite the age difference, which wasn't a factor here at all because that's just how it was back then, maybe still is today on many occasions. And with "back then" I mean the late 19th century and the early 20th century because this is when the movie is set. It is the story of a talented female writer whose fame is reaped by a man because of gender discrimination back then. Well, to some extent at least because there are several occasions when we find out people know who is the one behind the books really. Fittingly, there is also a film about Mary Shelley hitting theaters these days, the writer of Frankenstein, and her story is at least slightly similar, even if there are major differences of course. One would be that this one here is set in France. I am a bit surprised apparently that in terms of sets and costumes, this film is not making the big impact awards-wise I thought it could especially with Oscar nominees in charge.

Okay, as for the movie I think the balance between the writing part and the relationship struggles was well-executed. It fits somehow percentage-wise I would say. I also think basically all the supporting characters here are interesting enough. Most of them are lovers of either of the two main characters and they are never bland or boring. The big love of Colette's life and her not too easily identifiable gender adds just as much as the one who tries to destroy their careers early on and actually had affairs with both Colette and her man. This is also an interesting reference about faith and being honest with one another. West's character really offers more depth and shades than Colette I'd even say. Sometimes he feels like a simple brute, sometimes he feels like a loving husband, sometimes he feels like a manipulative fraud. A bit of everything and honestly I believe he did love Colette, but I think his ego and greed and lust for life and sexual pleasure eventually got in the way. Another scene(s) I liked was the "I love you" reference on two occasions towards the end. Which was really smart and touching. But the best scene of the film was probably the farewell scene between Colette and her husband when she finds out he sold her "baby". Very touching and this was maybe the only moment when the film reached 4 stars out of 5 for me. Very good.

Oh, well maybe I should mention all the really brief, but pretty sensual sex scenes as well. I just cannot deny them as a heterosexual male with Keira Knightley in these. Okay, what else can I say here? The cast is really not well-known aside from the two central actors, but it does not need to be to work and be a success overall. It is not best-of-the-year material from any perspective and any production value, but there are also virtually no major flaws or struggles in any department either. A very competent, well-rounded work that everybody who likes period pieces will enjoy. Especially if you know you like Keira Knightly. Chances are high you have seen other (period piece) films with her if you consider watching this one. So yeah, I give this one a thumbs-up and recommend checking it out. I mentioned the running time earlier already and I felt that it flew by quickly most of the time and did not feel closer to 120 than to 90 minutes and that is always an achievement. Watch it, not a must-see on the big screen though.

The film starts 1892 in rural France. It is a biopic of Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette. She is perhaps best known for "Gigi" which was not mentioned in the film. She married a "writer" who used ghosts. Colette was her husband's ghostwriter, with him taking credit for "Claudine" a hit sensation and scandalous novel series that was semi-autobiographical, including infidelity and FF sex. Colette expanded into a stage performer.

I love historical films of people I don't know who left a mark. This one held my interest being a fan of "Madame Bovary," I saw some rough similarities between her real life and the fictional novel without the tragic ending.

Guide: sex and nudity (Eleanor Tomlinson, Keira Knightley )