Jeanne du Barry

A period film set in eighteenth-century France, drawn from the life of a real person. Jeanne Bécu is born the illegitimate daughter of a poor seamstress. She learns to read and to carry herself, enters the upper circles of Paris, then reaches the court and becomes the last official mistress of Louis XV. The court's rules are rigid and Jeanne obeys none of them; the film's tension comes from that. The narrative shows court life from inside: who stands where, the king's rising ceremony, who is permitted to look at whom. Rather than learn that order, Jeanne breaks it. Maïwenn directed and plays Jeanne. Johnny Depp plays the king, and his lines are in French. Some of the scenes really were shot at Versailles. It was the opening film of the Cannes festival in 2023 and opened in France the same day. Its budget made it one of the most expensive French productions of that year. A visually rich choice for anyone who likes period film and court narratives. For a viewer looking for historical depth, the film concentrates on the character's story and does not go far into the politics of the period.