“I don’t belong here,” Lou de Laâge insists in a trailer for “The Mad Women’s Ball.” Set to make its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in September, Mélanie Laurent’s latest sees Laâge playing Eugénie, a young woman who is forcibly institutionalized at the infamous Salpêtrière Hospital. Despite pleading her case, Eugénie is told that she has no choice in the matter. Her father decided that she would go to the hospital, and Professor Charcot, the director of the neurological clinic, will decide when she leaves.
The spot shows Eugénie being asked if she can “really speak with the dead.” Eugénie’s habit of communicating with spirits is what convinced her family to bring her to Salpêtrière, where patients are subjected to experiments in the name of science. Along with the help of a nurse (Laurent), Eugénie plots her escape and prepares to attend the Bal des Folles, a famous ball at the clinic.
Laurent and de Laâge previously teamed up for 2014’s “Breathe,” a coming-of-age drama about a destructive friendship. The former directed and the latter starred.
Laurent made her English-language feature directorial debut with 2018’s “Galveston.” “Diving” is among her other features. She’s signed on to direct “The Nightingale,” a coming-of-age story about two sisters set on the eve of WWII. Dakota Fanning and Elle Fanning will topline. Laurent’s on-screen credits include “6 Underground,” “Beginners,” and “Inglourious Basterds.”
You can catch de Laâge next in “White as Snow,” Anne Fontaine’s sexually charged take on “Snow White,” out August 13. Isabelle Huppert co-stars.
“The Mad Women’s Ball” launches on Amazon Prime Video September 17.
