A true original!

In the documentary Frances McDormand – Anti-Star by Yal Sadat and Murielle Joudet, the filmmakers put forward a detailed assessment of the career of the artist who brings life to everything like no one else!

THE SUBJECT: A portrait of the American actor, who is both unconventional and determined: Frances McDormand.

THE METHOD: A chronological documentary narrated by a voice-over, incorporating film clips, archive footage and testimonies from figures such as actor John Carrol Lynch and exceptionally rare independent filmmaker John Sayles.

BONUS: The strength of this documentary lies in its insightful analysis of McDormand’s highly distinctive personality, which focuses “on the embodiment of an unremarkable America, namely the lost territories of the Midwest, the nation’s soft underbelly, from which she is proud to hail and which, deep down, she has never truly left…” Through the actor’s powerful presence, this film captures a certain America, and beyond. It raises valid questions about feminism, the Coen brothers’ creative duo (the “two-headed creature” who chain-smoked when McDormand first met them) and the impact of her image over time. They present all elements we can relate to, not to mention, of course, the funny side of playing “gruff” characters, such as Olive Kitteridge (2015) in the series of the same name, whose primary beauty lies in being “true to herself,” and unlike anyone else!

Virginie Apiou