The Year of Adèle Haenel

Let's remember our Actress of the Year. At least that's what you probably get if you're in France or near, let's say Europe....? For me anyway, she's my actress of the year, every year.

"Adèle Haenel est vraiment formidable."

The Year of Adèle.

I’ve actually had announced such fact earlier this year. After the César award, it became pretty obvious. As an Adèle expert, as I am, the question is really how she could go unnoticed for so long. What you will be seeing throughout the rest of the year, especially in her country, France, of course, where she is undeniably the French Actress of the Year, where there have been articles and reviews and interviews all raving and praising this wonderful force of nature that she is, is what I’ve been saying for years now. I also feel proud of her.

After winning the César for her film Suzanne, she premiered two films at her film festival - Cannes.

Les Combattants is one of the most popular French films coming out of the Festival and I wouldn’t be surprised if they would choose this film to compete for the Foreign Language Film. The others competitors being the Ives Saint Laurent biographies? Or Michel Hazanavicious’ The Search? Or films like Clouds of Sils Maria, which is directed by a French?

Les Combattants is one of the most popular French films coming out of the Festival and I wouldn’t be surprised if they would choose this film to compete for the Foreign Language Film. The others competitors being the Ives Saint Laurent biographies? Or Michel Hazanavicious’ The Search? Or films like Clouds of Sils Maria, which is directed by a French?

In an interview magazine, the title reads “Les Nouveaux Combattants du Cinéma Français". Director Thomas Cailley and the actors and crew have been promoting the film at screenings around France. After being the first film to win all three awards from the side Competitions at Cannes, the film opens in France in August and I’m really curious if it will be as popular with the audience as it is being around the media and critics, if not more. Everyone talks about Adèle Haenel and I also wouldn’t be surprised if they would nominate her for another César with her performance.

This film is at the top of my list of most wanted films of the year!

The other one is obviously L’homme qu’on aimait troup. This film also premiered at Cannes, out of Competition, and even how irrelevant this might be, the main praise was for the performances of the three main characters, including a particular stand out for Adèle. Again, when I was reading this praise back in May, it felt like they haven’t ever seen a film with Adèle, when she’s actually been around for a while now. 

Like in the red carpet, when Adèle and Thomas Cailley walked the stairs, the interviewer asked Adèle if it was her first time as well.

Well, she’s been actually doing it since 2007. She has done it at least...who’s really counting? Let’s take a look.

Water Lilies, outside the main Competition. 2007.

In 2011, she had three films.

House of Tolerance, In Competition.

En Ville, Director's Fortnight, probably.

Après Le Sud, Director's Fortnight.

In 2012, she had two other films.

Alyah, Directors' Fortnight.

Trois Mondes, Un Certain Regard.

In 2013, Suzanne.

You had at least nine opportunities to have seen Adèle's films at Cannes.

The Praise - We can start with her co-star Catherine Deneuve. She describes Adèle as “Absulement formidable.” I think we don’t need a translator here as well. Click here to hear Deneuve's own words.

"Une heure avec Alice".

André Téchiné about Adèle:

Read the article here.

André Téchiné first saw Adèle in the short film “Une heure avec Alice”, he liked the originality of the couple, he liked her presence and her freshness, and then like everyone else he saw Water Lilies. It was her presence, essentially, that made him choose Adèle for the role of Agnes. He describes her presence, the power, the physicality, as something really intuitive (her instincts). The only thing he wanted from her to emphasize all that, was for her to die her hair brown.

He had compared her to Isabelle Adjani, especially since the film is happening around the seventies. It also reminds him of Adèle’s ability to bring these different expressions or reactions. She is something extremely raw, extremely childish. 

Curious fact - André Téchiné will be making a film co-directed with Céline Schiamma, director of Water Lilies. It would be lovely if Adèle would work along as well.

Adèle Haenel, star nouvelle génération - Audacieise, brute, brilliant... Click here to read the article.

La comédienne Adèle Haenel serait l'actrice de l'année - Click here to read the article.

La belle vie d'Adèle Haenel - Click here to read the article.

Other work news – This is possibly the worst news I could hear from film this year. Adèle will not be working with Cécile de France after all. She has dropped out from the film directed by Catherine Corsini. I don’t know if it is scheduling conflicts, creative choices or something else. All I know is that I’m aching. 

Adéle, ma raison d'être.