After marrying a successful Parisian writer known commonly as Willy, Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette is transplanted from her childhood home in rural France to the intellectual and artistic splendor of Paris. Soon after, Willy convinces Colette to ghostwrite for him. She pens a semi-autobiographical novel about a witty and brazen country girl named Claudine, sparking a bestseller and a cultural sensation. After its success, Colette and Willy become the talk of Paris and their adventures inspire additional Claudine novels.
Acting
Knightley's slow-burn transformation from obedient wife to literary iconoclast
Costume
The suits. Specifically Missy's suits. Devastating.
Direction
Westmoreland letting silences do the screaming
Director
Wash Westmoreland
Keira Knightley
Colette
Dominic West
Willy
Denise Gough
Missy
Fiona Shaw
Sido
Robert Pugh
Jules
Eleanor Tomlinson
Georgie Raoul-Duval
Ray Panthaki
Veber
Dickie Beau
Wague
Jake Graf
Gaston De Caillavet
Polina Litvak
Lily
Rebecca Root
Rachilde
Máté Haumann
Count Muffat
Karen Gagnon
Aspiring Actress
Katinka Egres
Hungarian Countess
Alexis Latham
Second Heckler
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
The real Colette went on to become the first woman given a state funeral in France—and yes, she absolutely had affairs with everyone.
The Claudine novels basically invented the 'schoolgirl lesbian' trope in literature; Colette's ghostwriting became open secret that outlasted Willy's reputation entirely.
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