Alice

I almost didn't watch this, especially because it was labeled a drama AND a comedy. The synopsis sounded pretty serious, and if they tried to play it for laughs I probably would not have liked it. But I read the other reviews here that said it was NOT a comedy at all. And they were all right. This movie is not a comedy at all and it the entire film is a (very good) drama.

Alice is a different take on prostitution movies and the three lead actors are all outstanding and all of the supporting roles are excellent. The script, cinematography, editing and production design were top notch. For a movie involving prostitution there's very little explicit sex...I actually think there should have been a little more, since the contrast between being a mother and being a call girl should have been played up a bit more.

One quibble: Alice should have used a nanny service instead of resorting to allowing her awful husband to babysit. In a city as large as Paris, there must be many resources that would not have cost a lot of money that cater to families (and single mothers) that have hectic, weird schedules and need to arrange for babysitting on short notice. Alice's timelines for such arrangements could have been negotiated at the very beginning of her relationships with her management.

But that said, the movie was nicely paced and the characters evolved in a realistic way. The ending was a bit far fetched, but I won't add that to any quibbles, because it was still justified.

This film was so well acted and directed it really drew me in right from the off. I really felt sorry for Alice,discovering her husband had blown all her money left to her on seeing prostitutes. I rooted for her all through the film,a superb lead performance,though to be honest everyone acted their socks off in this one. Best film i have seen in ages. Well worth a look.

Greetings again from the darkness. So much trust goes into a marriage. We try to choose someone we can imagine growing old with, and also whose morals are in line with our own ... especially if raising kids is part of the plan. Of course sometimes things don't work out as hoped, and writer-director Josephine Mackerras shows us what happens when things go horribly wrong - when the person we have trusted is so drastically different than the person we believed them to be.

Alice (Emilie Piponnier) and Francois (Martin Swabey) appear to be a normal wife and husband raising a cute little boy named Jules. Alice is a beautiful and caring person, whose goodness shines through in her smile. Francois is the charming type who recites literary passages at dinner parties before planting a passionate kiss on his wife in front of everyone at the table. One day, Alice's credit card is declined which leads her down the dark trail no one hopes to travel. Francois has maxed out the cards and emptied the bank account. Worse yet, their apartment is nearing foreclosure from lack of payments.

Further research leads Alice to Elegant Escorts and the realization that her beloved husband has been leading a secret double life - one that has left her penniless with a young child. What happens next is quite surprising. Sweet Alice proves to be much tougher than she appears. After some terrible guidance from her mother, Alice takes control of the situation in order to save her home and provide for her son. Her friend and mentor in her new vocation is Lisa (Chloe Boreham), who offers tips and emotional support. This gets her through the clumsy and awkward initial attempts at carrying out her new duties. Soon she believes the plan is working and she'll be able to save her home, but alas, Francois reappears and complicates the situation.

This is the first feature film from Ms. Mackerras and the film is a Grand Jury prize nominee at SXSW. The obvious comparison here is to Louis Bunuel's masterpiece BELLE DE JOUR (1967) starring Catherine Deneuve, with the obvious difference being one character was bored and craved attention, while another was desperate to save her home. Self-discovery plays a role for both. The tagline for this film is: "She did everything right, until it all went wrong", and it's a reminder that often we find the inner strength needed during times of crisis. The film also offers up a nice moral of the story in noting the cleansing power of nature. It's a terrific little film that flashes significant talent from filmmaker Josephine Mackerras and lead actress Emilie Piponnier.

An enjoyable film with an unusual storyline. Good acting by a cast I'm not familiar with and it's an easy watch with some interesting twists. A solid 7 in my book.

Do not be fooled by the poster (or the image one can see here with the title) - because this is not a titilating affair ... this is not here to excite you (pun intended), but rather tell a story. Actually one of the first ... let's call it sexual encounters might bring memories to some from their teenage escapedes ... remembering that there was almost no fun involved and a lot of things that went wrong. Only good thing here: patience that has developed over the years .. and luck to some degree.

Because this is about escort and not depraved acts. So if you are into a story of a struggling woman and her not reliable husband ... and their kid ... well you are in the right place. Again just don't expect this to give you excitement in a different way than it actually does. This is pure drama ... and a good one at that. Well played, well structured ... pacing may not be your thing, but it chooses to go this way ...