Noémie Merlant's Genre-Blending 'The Balconettes' Acquired by The Forge

Noémie Merlant's second directorial feature, "The Balconettes," marks a reunion with one of her most iconic collaborators, director Céline Sciamma. The two previously worked together on the acclaimed film "Portrait of a Lady on Fire." In "The Balconettes," Merlant transforms into the role of C-list actress Élise, who has been cast as Marilyn Monroe in a TV movie.

The film centers on a trio of roommates, including Élise, who "meddle in the lives of their neighbors from their Marseilles balcony during a sweltering heat wave, until a late-night drink spirals into a bloody confrontation." The feature co-stars Souheila Yacoub, Sanda Codreanu, and Lucas Bravo, who filmed "The Balconettes" right before starring in Melanie Laurent's true crime caper "Freedom."

IndieWire praised "The Balconettes" as a "physically uninhibited and formally unbound rape-revenge horror-comedy," with critic David Ehrlich noting that Merlant has "never shied away from an opportunity to redefine how female bodies are depicted on film." The film premiered at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival and has now been acquired by indie distributor The Forge for a U.S. release.

Merlant expressed her joy at the film finding an audience in the United States, stating that "so much of my love for storytelling was shaped by American film culture." The Forge CEO Mark Sayre praised Merlant's "singular vision" and the film's ability to "detonate" genre conventions, calling it "wild, funny, furious, and alive with risk."