India. Smita is an untouchable. She dreams of seeing her daughter escape her miserable condition and enter school. Italy. Giulia works in her father’s workshop. When he has an accident, she discovers that the family business is ruined. Canada. Sarah, a successful lawyer, is about to be promoted to the head of her firm when she learns that she is ill. Three lives, three women, three continents. Three battles to fight. Although they don’t know each other, Smita, Giulia and Sarah are unknowingly linked by their most intimate and singular bond.
Acting
Three leads carry entire continents with zero shared screen time.
Direction
Colombani weaves timelines so deftly you forget it's a puzzle until it clicks.
Writing
The final reveal of connection — devastating in its banality.
Director
Laetitia Colombani
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Mia Maelzer is a real-life activist for Dalit rights; this was her first acting role. Director Colombani cast her precisely because she refused to perform poverty — she embodied it.
The global hair trade is a multi-billion dollar industry where temples in India supply 'remy' hair to Western consumers. The film's title refers to both braided hair and fate — la tresse in French carries both meanings.
