The Mad Women's Ball

The Mad Women's Ball (French: Le bal des folles) is a 2021 French supernatural thriller film directed by Mélanie Laurent from a screenplay by Laurent and Christophe Deslandes. It is based upon the novel Le bal des folles by Victoria Mas, and stars Laurent, Lou de Laâge, Emmanuelle Bercot, Benjamin Voisin, Cédric Kahn and Grégoire Bonnet.

The Mad Women's Ball
Official poster
FrenchLe bal des folles
Directed byMélanie Laurent
Screenplay by
  • Mélanie Laurent
  • Christophe Deslandes
Based onLe bal des folles
by Victoria Mas
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyNicolas Karakatsanis
Edited byAnny Danché
Music byAsaf Avidan
Production
company
Distributed byAmazon Studios
Release dates
  • 12 September 2021 (2021-09-12) (TIFF)
  • 17 September 2021 (2021-09-17)
Running time
121 minutes[1]
CountryFrance
LanguageFrench

It had its world premiere at the 2021 Toronto International Film Festival on 12 September 2021 and was released for streaming on 17 September 2021 by Amazon Studios.[2]

Cast

Production

In January 2020, it was announced that Mélanie Laurent would write and direct a film based upon the novel Le bal des folles by Victoria Mas, with Alain Goldman serving as a producer under his Légende Films banner.[3] In June 2020, it was announced that Laurent and Lou de Laâge had joined the cast of the film, with Gaumont Film Company set to distribute the film in France.[4] In November 2020, it was further announced that Emmanuelle Bercot, Benjamin Voisin, Cédric Khan and Grégoire Bonnet had joined the cast of the film, with Amazon Studios distributing worldwide and with Gaumont no longer distributing.[5]

Principal photography began in November 2020.[6]

The soundtrack was composed by Asaf Avidan and performed by Avidan (Piano and Keyboards) and Coleman Itzkoff (Cello).

Release

The Mad Woman's Ball had its world premiere at the 2021 Toronto International Film Festival on 12 September 2021.[7] It was released on Amazon Prime on 17 September 2021.[8]

Reception

On Rotten Tomatoes the film has an 85% approval rating based on 54 reviews, with an average rating of 7/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Its themes are occasionally undercut by its storytelling, but outstanding performances give The Mad Women's Ball a poignant, disturbing power."[9] On Metacritic, the film has a rating of 72 out of 100, based on reviews from 14 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[10]

Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian wrote: "Contrived and possibly overheated though the film might be at times, there is real storytelling gusto to it, and Laurent punches it across with relish."[11]

References
  1. "The Mad Women's Ball".
  2. "Prime Video: Die Tanzenden". www.primevideo.com (in German). Retrieved 2022-12-06.
  3. Keslassy, Elsa (10 January 2020). "Melanie Laurent to Write, Direct Female-Driven Period Thriller 'The Mad Women's Ball'". Variety. Retrieved 16 November 2020.
  4. Keslassy, Elsa (15 June 2020). "Gaumont Acquires Melanie Laurent's Period Thriller 'The Mad Women's Ball'". Variety. Retrieved 16 November 2020.
  5. Keslassy, Elsa (12 November 2020). "Amazon Sets Melanie Laurent's 'Le Bal Des Folles' as First French Original Movie (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 16 November 2020.
  6. Middleton, Sophie (13 November 2020). "Mélanie Laurent Will Direct Le Bal Des Folles, The First French Original Film For Amazon Prime Video". TV6. Retrieved 16 November 2020.
  7. Hammond, Pete (June 23, 2021). "Melissa McCarthy, Kenneth Branagh, Edgar Wright Movies Among First Set For Toronto Film Festival; In-Person Theater And Digital Screenings Planned". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved June 23, 2021.
  8. "Le Bal des folles : bande-annonce du nouveau film de Mélanie Laurent, avec Lou de Laâge". Premiere (in French). 22 June 2021. Retrieved 22 June 2021.
  9. "The Mad Women's Ball". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 15 December 2021.
  10. "The Mad Women's Ball". Metacritic. Retrieved 15 December 2021.
  11. Peter Bradshaw (13 September 2021). "The Mad Woman's Ball review – Mélanie Laurent's compelling melodrama". The Guardian.
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