After she ends up in prison and loses custody of her son, a woman struggles to assimilate outside her former life and remain clean long enough to regain custody of her son.
Acting
Cheung's Cannes-winning stillness — every relapse in her eyes.
Direction
Assayas captures addiction without exploitation.
Score
Brian Eno and indie rock haunt every frame.
Director
Olivier Assayas
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Maggie Cheung and Olivier Assayas were married during production; they divorced shortly after, making Emily's isolation feel eerily autobiographical.
Cheung became the first Asian actress to win Cannes Best Actress — for a role originally written for a white woman.
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