The Braves

Anaïs Volpé's 2022 French film is about two women friends and their dream of acting. Alma and Margot are inseparable: they live together, rehearse together and involve themselves in everything in each other's lives. Being cast in an important play in Paris brings the dream closer, with one taking the lead and the other the understudy. Then a diagnosis given to Alma upsets the balance and their friendship is tested under both rivalry and illness. The film conveys the intensity of the relationship through handheld camera and close-ups, cutting rehearsals and daily life at the same speed. Volpé keeps the story in short pieces so that the illness does not become a device of melodrama. The rapport between Souheila Yacoub and Déborah Lukumuena is its strength. Who it's for: viewers who like intense drama about friendship between women. Who it's not for: anyone expecting a calm account; the film is in constant motion.