Synopsis
In the late 19th century, a chambermaid from Paris relocates to a remote household in Provence, engages in trysts and finds herself enraptured with a coach driver.
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Cast
- Léa SeydouxCélestine
- Vincent LindonJoseph
- Clotilde MolletMadame Lanlaire
- Hervé PierreMonsieur Lanlaire
- Mélodie ValembergMarianne
- Patrick d'AssumçaoLe capitaine
- Vincent LacosteGeorges
- Joséphine DerenneLa grand-mère de Georges
- Dominique ReymondLa placeuse
- RosetteRose
Recommendations
- 63
Slant Magazine
The lack of ambiguity reflects Benoît Jacquot's treatment of the text, which is devoid of either formal obsessiveness or a contemporary hook. - 60
CineVue
Diary of a Chambermaid is beautifully shot and Jacquot's adaptation, co-scripted with Helene Zimmer, effectively conveys the casual violence of country life as well as the petty obsessions and miserliness of the bourgeoisie and the harsh treatment of their servants. The performances are also superb and Seydoux's stillness and quiet hauteur is particularly memorable. - 60
Los Angeles Times
Unfolding elliptically, the new film can feel abrupt and unsatisfying, but it’s filled with sharp commentary on class and servitude, and the actress delivers another extraordinary performance. - 60
The New York Times
Ms. Seydoux’s triumph is her skill at imbuing Célestine with an almost angelic radiance that clashes with her underlying coarseness. - 58
The A.V. Club
In spurts, it resembles an homage to classic French cinema and an overheated, Tinto Brass-esque Euro skin flick, but still finds plenty of room for stultifying, upstairs-downstairs costume drama. - 50
The Hollywood Reporter
If Chambermaid lacks the dramatic push to carry it through to the end, Seydoux’s performance remains robust and engaging throughout. - 50
Variety
The film milks some brisk comedy from its upstairs-downstairs peekaboo, but is too breezy to convince in its depiction of obsessive erotic fixation — making for a “Diary” that oddly feels less exposing as it goes along. - 50
IndieWire
Benoît Jacquot’s The Diary of a Chambermaid is a gorgeously mounted and dramatically inert bit of fluff that drapes itself over a smoldering Léa Seydoux but never manages to catch fire.
