Angelina Jolie Faces Breast Cancer Amid Paris Fashion Week Drama

The film 'Couture', set during Paris Fashion Week, follows Angelina Jolie's character Maxine Walker, a goth-glam director of indie horror films who has come to the city to shoot a lavish short film for a prominent fashion house. The movie takes a low-key, neorealist approach to the fashion world, focusing on a diverse ensemble of characters, including an 18-year-old model from Sudan, a makeup artist writing a memoir, and Maxine's own sexy cinematographer.

While the film could have delved into the glitz and drama of the fashion industry, director Alice Winocour deliberately defuses the tension, opting for a more grounded, humanistic portrayal. However, the story takes an unexpected turn when Maxine, in the midst of a divorce and preparing to start a new horror film, learns that she has breast cancer after undergoing a biopsy. This health crisis adds a new layer of gravity to the fashion-world ephemera, making the rest of the movie feel even more inconsequential.

Jolie's performance as Maxine is a standout, drawing on her own family history with cancer to imbue the character with a mix of cool-director verve and a palpable fear and sorrow. Though the health crisis and the fashion-world narrative don't entirely mesh, 'Couture' offers a unique and understated exploration of the industry, challenging the typical glitz and glamour associated with Paris Fashion Week.