"A Lady in Paris"(France, Estonia, Belgium – 2012)

Aging is inevitable for all living things. Even stars of the silver screen are no exception. A Lady in Paris, a film whose French title translates to An Estonian in Paris, features the legendary actress Jeanne Moreau (born in 1928), and cheekily echoes the title Breakfast at Tiffany's.

Anne, a woman entering her later years, has spent the past two years in Estonia caring for her mother while also raising children. After her mother passes away, she is left emotionally hollow. One day, she receives an unexpected job offer as a housekeeper in Paris. As if trying to shake off the sorrow of losing her beloved mother, she sets off for the City of Light.

Anne is hired by Stéphane, who runs a café near the home of an elderly woman. He was once Frida's lover, and perhaps felt a sense of duty to repay her for helping him start the café.

Anne's charge is Frida (Jeanne Moreau), a sharp-tongued and reclusive older woman living alone in a luxury apartment. Having once attempted suicide by overdosing on medication, Frida’s medicine cabinet is kept under lock and key. She greets Anne with cold disdain, especially when she discovers Anne doesn't even know how to buy a good croissant.

“Bread is something you buy from the baker.”

Frida herself had once left Estonia long ago. Gradually, she begins to open her heart to Anne. “One thinks of their homeland best from afar”—nostalgia is not easily cast aside. Jeanne Moreau, once unforgettable in The Bride Wore Black, now appears like an aging alpha monkey. As people grow older, hardships and wrinkles multiply—beauty becomes irrelevant.

In Japan, where single elderly households are rapidly increasing, what are we to do when even a housekeeper can't be afforded?

A Lady in Paris

© TS Productions – Amrion Oϋ – La Parti Production – 2012

Winner of the Ecumenical Prize at the 2012 Locarno International Film FestivalA commemorative film for the 25th anniversary of Cetera International

Director & Screenwriter: Ilmar Raag

Co-writers: Agnès Feuvre, Lise Macheboeuf

Cinematography: Laurent Brunet

Costumes: Ann Dansford

Production Design: Pascal Consigny

Music: Dez Mona / Joe Dassin – "If You Call It Melancholy"

Cast: Jeanne Moreau (Elevator to the Gallows), Laine Mägi, Patrick Pineau

Original title: Une Estonienne à Paris2012 / France–Estonia–Belgium / French & Estonian / 95 min / Vista formatJapanese subtitles: Yukiko FurutaWith support from Unifrance FilmsDistributed and promoted by: Cetera International

Website: www.cetera.co.jp/croissant