As a heat wave brings a Marseille neighbourhood to the boil, three roommates gleefully meddle in the lives of their neighbours from their balcony. Until a late night drink turns into a bloody affair.
I knew that I wanted to take the audience on a lavish journey, and go far out with the costumes, colors and sets. Beyond the story's occasional flirtations with horror and fable, it was crucial to follow through formally, and for the aesthetic choices to bring excess and farce. I set out to play with our fantasy worlds and codes.
As an actress she has worked with many prestigious directors, such as Céline Sciamma (Portrait of a Lady on Fire, 2019), Jacques Audiard (Paris, 13th District, 2021), Todd Field (Tár, 2022) and, most recently, Audrey Diwan (Emmanuelle, 2024). In 2023, she won a César award for her performance in The Innocent by Louis Garrel.
After directing several shorts, Noémie Merlant wrote and directed her first feature Mi iubita mon amour, in 2020. Her second feature, The Balconettes (Les Femmes au Balcon), in which she co-stars with Souheila Yacoub and Sanda Codreanu, will premiere at the Cannes Festival 2024, in the Official Selection.
