It doesn’t get much more high-end than The Golden Triangle in the 8th arrondissement of Paris, where luxury boutiques and hotels line the streets. Madame (Triangle d’Or), the debut feature from director Hélène Rosselet-Ruiz, co-written with Pauline Guéna, that is world premiering at the Cannes Film Festival, takes audiences inside that exclusive district. But not in a Sex and the City kind of way, but in the form of an intimate thriller.
Just check out a synopsis: “To make ends meet, Laura takes a job working for Souria in a grand mansion in Paris’ Golden Triangle. Installed there by her lover, a wealthy Saudi prince, Souria lives in anticipation of his visits. As Laura struggles to adjust to this world of excessive luxury and constant surveillance, a fragile bond begins to form between the two women. But Laura senses that Souria is in danger, and that this gilded cage may be closing in on them both.”
The cast is led by Malou Khebizi (Enzo), Soundos Mosbah (La Cocina) and Ziad Bakri.
Madame comes from powerhouse producer Marie-Ange Luciani (Anatomy of a Fall, Enzo) and is based on Rosselet-Ruiz’s real-life experiences. With cinematography by David Chambille (Nouvelle Vague) and editing by Suzana Pedro, the film is being sold by MK2 Films. The movie debuts in the Cannes Special Screenings program on Tuesday, May 19.
“All summer long, I was a housekeeper for a rich Saudi, who I gradually came to understand was the lover of a member of the royal family,” Rosselet-Ruiz shares in press notes about the film. “The couple were illegitimate and should never be seen together. But the difference with Souria’s situation in the film was that there were staff. When someone came in, we hid our presence (and therefore hers) by locking ourselves into a wing of the apartment. There was this notion of taboo, and, of course, very obvious power relations. The in-camera aspect of the film enabled me to imagine a real encounter between these two women, which reality had not allowed.”
THR can now premiere an exclusive clip from Madame, giving you a rare look behind the typically closed doors of the privileged, but in this case also possibly dangerous, life of the people in Paris’ Golden Triangle. Get ready to make the acquaintance of Laura! But more importantly, pay close attention to the rules mentioned to her. Because there are CCTV cameras everywhere, and there are all sorts of do’s and don’ts! After all, if this cage is gilded, silence may be golden, and the rules are everything!
Watch the exclusive clip from Madame below.
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