Portrait of a Troubled Artist: La Vie en Rose

La Vie en Rose
Directed by Olivier Dahan
Released June 8, 2007

This biography of famous French singer Edith Piaf is a lengthy but expansive look at her life and the events which led to her great popularity and subsequent downfall. The story jumps around a bit too much for easy following, with dates flashing across the screen every five or ten minutes, muddling the timeline of the story to an often unrecognizable point. The undeniable reason to see this film is star Marion Cotillard. I am even more impressed with her performance after remembering her less-than-notable turns in "A Good Year" and "Big Fish". One of those stars who is indisputably better in her native language, 31-year-old Cotillard portrays Piaf from the age of twenty to nearly fifty with such a passion for the role. She gets so far into it, I was shocked to realize that it was all an act after discovering her past roles in the aforementioned films. A friend mentioned that she would win the Oscar for sure were she American, and I am tempted to agree as it is certainly one of the best lead performances I have seen so far this year. Just as Cotillard resembles Piaf, the film resembles her life, which is often choppy and hard to follow.

B