“There are two ways to live life,” explains the titular character of “Marguerite” in a new trailer for the film. “We can dream it or achieve it.”
Marguerite (Catherine Frot, “Family Resemblances”), an aspiring opera singer, is committed to achieving her dreams — and she won’t let the fact that she’s sorely, audibly lacking in talent stand in her way. Marguerite has an unforgettable singing voice: Her operatic squawks are so memorably bad that they captivate audiences. But Marguerite doesn’t appear in on the joke. “I sing at least four or five hours a day,” she reports without the slightest trace of humor or self-deprecation.
The singer just might be so bad she’s good. According to one of her admirers, she’s “sublimely off-key.”
Marguerite is based loosely on Florence Foster Jenkins, an American socialite known for her distinct brand of warbling. Meryl Streep will portray Jenkins in a different biopic.
“Marguerite” made its world premiere in the competition section of the 2015 Venice Film Festival and received rave reviews. Variety praised the “pitch-perfect comedy of manners,” calling it “splendid satire.” The film opens in April in New York. Further details have yet to be released.
