Actress and director Mélanie Laurent believes that Netflix offered her the opportunity to make a women’s action film, unlike cinema which would not have had “the idea of putting a significant budget” on such a project.
Muscular action scenes carried by heroines with whom it is possible to identify: Mélanie Laurent returns to directing with Thieves, on Netflix, starting Wednesday, November 1. The feature film brings together a five-star cast: Mélanie Laurent, Isabelle Adjani, Adèle Exarchopoulos, Philippe Katerine, Félix Moati and Manon Bresch.
This project was born from “love” of the director for action films, and her “frustration” to never see everyday women embody the heroines. To make her dream come true, Mélanie Laurent draws on comics by adapting The Great Odalisque by Jérôme Mulot, Florent Ruppert and Bastien Vivès, itself inspired by the cult animated series from the 80s Cat’s Eyes.
Men in the background
Thieves follows the tribulations of Carole and Alex, inseparable high-flying burglars, respectively played by the director and Adèle Exarchopoulos. To free themselves from Marraine, their ruthless boss played by Isabelle Adjani, and to consider a calmer life, the girls embark on one last heist, and en route recruit Sam, a racing driver played by Manon Bresch, a young actress known for her role of Thérèse in the series More beautiful life.
In this story punctuated with humorous scenes, the men all have secondary roles, but are not “not excluded” however, Mélanie Laurent nuance, which underlines their character “particular and complex”. Instead “on the outskirts”, specifies Félix Moati, who plays an arms seller flirting with the sniper played by Adèle Exarchopoulos. The film aims to showcase a powerful femininity where “feminism” is not “not the subject”. “It’s much broader than that, it’s a film about friendship”argues Adèle Exarchopoulos, interviewed by AFP.
Carried by Netflix
In 2021, the director had already collaborated with a streaming platform with the adaptation of the successful novel The Fools’ Ball released on Prime Video. With Thievesco-produced by Gaumont, Netflix gave him carte blanche for its production. “I think that cinema would never have had the idea of putting in the substantial budget so that we in France could have a film about women, action and comedy”says Mélanie Laurent to AFP.
“All of a sudden we are all over the world, it’s wonderful”, adds the director, who lived for several years in Los Angeles, in reference to the international impact of the American platform. Cigarette breaks, glasses of rosé… The director ensures that the film remains “very French” and features “French women of our generation”. A “French paw” accentuated by the geography of the settings: Paris, Le Mans, but especially Corsica where the majority of the scenes are filmed.