“I’m not a writer,” a sex worker tells a client in the trailer for “Nelly” — but she actually is. Nelly Arcan (Mylène Mackay) is, in her words, a “whore” who sees 10-20 clients each week. However, that’s just one part of her very complicated life. Or perhaps it’s one life of the many she’s living.

Nelly is also a best-selling author of a semi-autobiographical book, “Whore”; she’s a person who tries to seduce her therapist; she’s a Jackie O sunglasses-wearing socialite; she’s a tragic figure; and she’s a fiancée. In her own words, she simply wants to experience everything. “One man in my life would be dangerous,” Nelly says in the clip. “I need the planet, the full range of humankind.”

Based on the life and books of Arcan, who died in 2009 at age 36, “Nelly” marks director Anne Émond’s third feature film. Ahead of “Nelly’s” premiere at TIFF 2016, Émond told us she’s always been drawn to the real Arcan. “How fascinating that this woman with fake lips, fake huge boobs, and fake blonde hair with such a strange, fragile, and sensual vibe was the writer of the best novels in Quebec since Hubert Aquin!” she said.

“I dove into [Arcan’s] tragic life,” Émond recalled. “I slowly came to realize how this film could be universal in that every woman could identify with either of her many facets. She has been a lover, a writer, a mother, a whore, a best friend, an enemy, a star, and a failure.”

“Nelly” opens at Village East Cinema in New York on August 24. It opens at Laemmle’s Royal Theatre and Playhouse 7 in Los Angeles September 14.

You can find out more about “Nelly” via Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Check out the exclusive trailer below.