Dior and I

Dior and I (French: Dior et moi) is a 2014 French documentary film written and directed by Frédéric Tcheng about designer Raf Simons' creative work for Christian Dior S.A. The film premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival on 17 April 2014.[2] It was released theatrically in the United States on 10 April 2015 by The Orchard and in France on 8 July 2015 by Dissidenz Films.[3][4] The film is centered upon Simons' debut season at Dior and includes non-speaking cameo appearances by Marion Cotillard, Isabelle Huppert, Jennifer Lawrence, Sharon Stone and Harvey Weinstein. The documentary received positive reviews by critics.

Dior and I
Theatrical release poster
FrenchDior et moi
Directed byFrédéric Tcheng
Written byFrédéric Tcheng
Produced by
  • Guillaume de Roquemaurel
  • Frédéric Tcheng
StarringRaf Simons
CinematographyGilles Piquard
Edited byJulio C. Perez IV
Music byHa-Yang Kim
Production
company
CIM Productions
Distributed byDissidenz Films
Release dates
Running time
90 minutes
CountryFrance
Languages
  • French
  • English
  • Italian
Box office$1.8 million[1]

Production

Filmed in 2012 in eight weeks, Dior and I is a behind the scene look at designer Raf Simons’ first Haute Couture collection for Dior. The documentary weaves together past and present through excerpts from founder Christian Dior’s autobiography read by poet Omar Berrada.

Tcheng discovered Christian Dior’s autobiography Dior by Dior while researching the film. Dior’s intimate writing inspired him to focus on the human experience of the creative process. “When I reread passages during the shoot, I often felt as though I was reading a description of exactly what I had witnessed that day. The process and emotions were the same, despite the half-century gap in time.” Paul Dallas in Bomb called the effect “haunting and emotional—which is appropriate, given that Dior and I is essentially a ghost story.”[5]

The first time he actually met Simons, Tcheng was behind the camera, filming his arrival at Dior, where he meets the haute couture seamstresses for the first time. ‘It was tense, as Simons was initially against the idea [of being filmed],’ Tcheng says. ‘I had sent him a letter explaining my process and what I was interested in – the collaboration with the seamstresses, and how those two worlds would collide and create something new.’ He got the OK to film for a week, and worked with just one cameraman. ‘Once Raf gave access, he gave a lot of access,’ Tcheng says. ‘I did not expect the level of emotion that Raf brought,’ he adds. The film centers on the tension between modernity and tradition, between the influence of the founder’s style and the need to create something new. Tcheng cites Hitchcock’s Rebecca as an influence in its depiction of a house haunted by a ghost.[6]

The atelier is the first place that Tcheng and his crew started filming. The film presents an ensemble cast with the premieres d’atelier Florence Chehet and Monique Bailly featured as much as Raf Simons.[5]

Release

The film premiered as the opening documentary feature of the 2014 Tribeca Film Festival.[7]

Reception

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 84% based on 73 reviews, with an average rating of 6.90/10. The site's critics consensus reads: "Dior and I will obviously appeal to fashion fans, but this beautifully tailored documentary may draw in even the least sartorially inclined."[8] On Metacritic, it has a weighted average score of 70 out of 100, based on 25 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[9] Jay Weissberg of Variety wrote: “Fast-rising helmer Frederic Tcheng privileges the creative process over stereotyped glamor or backstabbing in this multilayered, meticulously woven docu.” Opening in 2015 in select theaters to positive reviews, the film went on to gross more than $1 million.[10]

Dior and I ranked #3 on The Hollywood Reporter’s 2019 list of Best Fashion Documentaries of the Decade.[11]

Accolades
Year Award / Film festival Category Recipients Result Ref.
2014 Seattle International Film Festival Documentary Special Jury Award Frédéric Tcheng Won [12]
Documentary Award Nominated
Abu Dhabi Film Festival Best Documentary Feature Nominated [13]
Tribeca Festival Best Documentary Feature Nominated [14]
Melbourne International Film Festival Best Documentary Nominated

See also

References
  1. "Dior and I (2014)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2 April 2021.
  2. Socha, Miles (4 March 2014). "Dior Film to Debut at Tribeca Festival". Women's Wear Daily. Retrieved 2 April 2021.
  3. Cipriani, Casey (26 February 2015). "Watch: There's No Substitute for Haute Couture in 'Dior And I' Trailer". IndieWire. Retrieved 2 April 2021.
  4. "Dior and I de Frédéric Tcheng (2014)". UniFrance. Retrieved 2 April 2021.
  5. "Frédéric Tcheng by Paul Dallas". Bomb. Retrieved 23 November 2022.
  6. "Director's cut: Frédéric Tcheng turns the lens on Raf Simons in 'Dior and I'". wallpaper. 18 February 2015. Retrieved 23 November 2022.
  7. "2014 TRIBECA FILM FESTIVAL ANNOUNCES WORLD NARRATIVE AND DOCUMENTARY COMPETITION SELECTIONS PLUS OUT-OF-COMPETITION VIEWPOINTS TITLES". Tribeca Festival. Retrieved 23 November 2022.
  8. "Dior and I (2014)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 2 April 2021.
  9. "Dior and I Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 12 September 2015.
  10. "Film Review: 'Dior and I'". Variety. 3 December 2014. Retrieved 23 November 2022.
  11. "The 10 Best Fashion Documentaries of the Decade". The Hollywood Reporter. 19 December 2019. Retrieved 23 November 2022.
  12. "SIFF ANNOUNCES 2014 GOLDEN SPACE NEEDLE & COMPETITION AWARDS". Seattle International Film Festival. Retrieved 23 November 2022.
  13. "Credits roll on eighth Abu Dhabi Film Festival". The National (Abu Dhabi). November 2014. Retrieved 23 November 2022.
  14. "Here Are the 12 Films in the World Documentary Competition". Tribeca Festival. Retrieved 23 November 2022.
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