It is difficult not to gush about Clouds of Sils Maria. French director Olivier Assayas has crafted here a beautiful looking and wonderfully acted metaphorical film that tells the skillfully written tale of women involved in show business at various phases of their professional lives. Similarly to Birdman, this is a meta-film, where we aren’t sure when the actors are playing their roles, and when they are playing themselves.

Clouds of Sils Maria is both retrospective and introspective; an emotionally intelligent film about the female spirit. But perhaps what is most remarkable is how effortless this complex and multilayered film feels. This is of course, due to some remarkable acting performances. French actress Juliette Binoche, who viewers may recognise from films such as The English Patient (1996) and Chocolat (2000), plays a celebrated actress named Maria Enders in the twilight of her career.  

When the film begins, the veteran actress is travelling with her PA, Valentine (Kristen Stewart), to Zurich to accept an award on behalf of a Swiss playwright, Wilhelm Melchior, whose work, Maloja Snake, helped her launch her career when she was a greenhorn 20 years ago. Enders owes him much, and is devastated by news of his death before her arrival.

Clouds of Sils Maria is a wonderfully introspective film about the complexities and emotions of the female spirit

In Maloja Snake, Enders played a young girl (Sigrid) involved in a love affair with an older woman named Helena. This complex relationship eventually drove Helena to suicide with Sigrid considered by Enders as the victim in the relationship. Or was Helena the victim? The answer to this question is debated throughout Clouds of Sils Maria; the answers varying with the perspectives of those asking.

A talented young theater director convinces Enders to star in Maloja Snake once again, this time in the role of the older Helena. This is a difficult task for Enders, as she still identifies with Sigrid, and embracing the character of Helena means coming to terms with loaded personal issues such as mortality, and being part of an industry where age is the enemy. What’s more, the actress now playing Sigrid seems like a handful, and is from a generation that Enders is suspicious of. 

As Enders, Binoche is superb. As her unwavering smart young assistant, Kirsten Stewart is surprisingly as good; her performance is absorbing and quietly powerful. Because we associate her with the Twilight films we underestimate her, which makes her understated turn here all the more impressive.

Binoche and Stewart have sizzling chemistry; their relationship is at the heart of the film. The most memorable scenes involve the two rehearsing, where Assayas cleverly has us wondering if they are practicing scenes from Maloja Snake or involved in an actual heated verbal tussle. These scenes come and go at will, keeping us on our toes. 

Stewart certainly has some fun, both at the expense and in defense of her role in the Twilight films. Aside from a werewolf joke, her character is involved in an engrossing discussion with Enders on the pitfalls of renouncing pop cinema, and the pretentiousness of ignoring strong characterisation in sci-fi films on the basis that the genre is juvenile. Not all of Clouds of Sils Maria is as straightforward as this, however. Some of the cloudier aspects, such as the abrupt disappearance of a major character, are mysteries that are more difficult to unlock, and like the rest of the film, demand repeat viewing.

Rated R for language and brief graphic nudity

Published in Dawn, Sunday Magazine, May 24th, 2015

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