Couture offers a look into the humanity of those in the fashion industry, letting the viewer see the struggles hidden behind the façade of beauty. Unfortunately, an unresolved plot, combined with nudity and crude language, makes the movie an unsatisfying watch.
On the outside, Maxine looks primed for success.
The indie horror filmmaker has just come to Paris on the cusp of Fashion Week, and it’s her own short film that’ll be opening the show. The opportunity is sure to open up her career to future possibilities, including the chance to finally create a long-hoped-for project.
But on the inside, Maxine carries the terrible weight of a breast cancer diagnosis. Her doctor tells her that she’ll need surgery or chemotherapy—and soon. Her crew demands to know why she abandons the set for hours at a time, unaware her absences are to deal with the life-changing news and the choices she must make.
Her lead actress, Ada, seems fit for the spotlight, too. The aspiring model from South Sudan, with Maxine’s film and the opening spot to premiere a runway lineup, surely has big things coming her way.
But when Ada is out of her heels, she’s icing her feet and practicing her runway walk. Ada’s inexperience leaves her struggling with confidence, wondering whether she’ll be able to earn enough money to send back to her displaced family.
Makeup artist Angèle spends her days preparing women like Ada for the camera. She’s good at her job, and for many of the women, she’s a welcome face to discuss such insecurities and woes.
But Angèle, too, has troubles, hoping she might, one day, become an author. But while editors call her story—one that reveals the inner turmoil of those within the fashion industry—real, they aren’t convinced any of it is all that interesting.
Couture exposes the dirt behind the glamour of the fashion industry. It showcases the personal trials and insecurities of those who work in it, reminding viewers of the humanity those people possess. Likewise, the movie pays tribute to those who thanklessly help out behind the scenes.
Ada sends money to support her family, and her mother tries to give her comfort through a phone call. Angèle offers words of encouragement and kindness to almost anyone who comes her way.
A song’s lyrics contain “baptized in the dew” and “the Lord who made me.” Someone describes something as a “good omen.” Ada prays that God will give her confidence and beauty.
Maxine has sex with a man onscreen, and we see the man’s rear and Maxine’s breasts. The scene gets explicitly intimate, focusing on Maxine’s breasts. The two kiss passionately.
Maxine receives a breast cancer diagnosis, and both during and after appointments, we often see her breasts onscreen or through transparent materials. When considering a mastectomy, Maxine scrolls through online photos showing before-and-after pictures of breasts that have undergone the operation.
Some women wear outfits that reveal an intimate outline of their breasts. Models prepare for runway shows in their underwear or in tight, form-fitting shapewear that expose their rears. We see another woman’s exposed chest following a fitting. A man strips out of his shirt. Two women kiss.
Maxine watches a bloody scene from the movie The Descent, wherein a character stabs a creature through the eye with a bone. Ada mentions a war that displaced her family.
Women nurse modeling-related injuries, including accidentally pricking their fingers with needles and icing their bleeding feet.
We hear the f-word 13 times and the s-word four times. There’s also a use of “b–ch.” God’s name is used in vain three times, and Jesus’ name is likewise used in vain three times.
People drink liquor. A woman says her friends are inebriated. People smoke cigarettes. Someone offers Ada pain medication.
Ada reveals she lied to her father so that she could become a model in Paris. Ada wipes menstrual blood trickling down her thigh after a photoshoot.
The fashion industry isn’t pretty.
Well, most people already know that. Sure, the models are meant to be attractive, wearing outfits that are meant to dazzle. But the industry itself? At times, it can simply drain one’s joy.
Couture speaks a little into that, showcasing the less appealing side of the work: Women march down the runway on still-bleeding toes. Others struggle with their confidence, especially as men and women alike toss them around from fitting room to makeup chair. Models are treated less like human beings and more like show props. And some, like Maxine, are forced to put on a brave face and continue working despite being burdened by terrible news.
The movie explores some of those moments through its three main characters: Maxine, Ada and Angèle—though this is done to the film’s detriment; none are given nearly enough time to fully develop into characters. Angelina Jolie’s Maxine gets the closest, coming to something of a soft growth while grappling with her cancer diagnosis and its impact. But should Ada and Angèle gain any meaningful resolution, it’ll only be in a viewer’s imagination.
Indeed, there is little in the way of stakes here; intentionally or not, Couture comes across more as a slice of life than a true drama. There’s a sense that the unresolved threads of this tale might be part of the very point being made, but in doing so, the movie leaves any sort of impact unwoven, too.
But despite the vague plot, parents should note that nudity is prominent in the movie, including an intimate, onscreen sex scene. Heavy crude language is present, too. And neither content issue will sew a beautiful picture on your screen.
Kennedy Unthank studied journalism at the University of Missouri. He knew he wanted to write for a living when he won a contest for “best fantasy story” while in the 4th grade. What he didn’t know at the time, however, was that he was the only person to submit a story. Regardless, the seed was planted. Kennedy collects and plays board games in his free time, and he loves to talk about biblical apologetics. He’s also an avid cook. He thinks the ending of Lost “wasn’t that bad.”
