Straight into the Cannes Competition with her debut film: Agathe Riedinger’s incisive look at beauty ideals, social media, and influencer culture is a diamond in the rough!
Liane (Malou Khebizi) is obsessed: with the beauty of others, with sculpting her own body, and with her dream of making it big as a social media influencer. For Liane, it would be a potential escape from a life that’s anything but glamorous.
But this path isn’t easy: the 19-year-old has already had breast and lip augmentation. She financed these procedures through petty theft. Instead of facing reality, Liane dreams and hopes—and suddenly, her potential breakthrough is just around the corner: The young woman has the chance to appear on the next season of a reality TV show—but the producers expect more than Liane is willing to give...
French director Agathe Riedinger’s first feature film was invited to the official competition of the 77th Cannes International Film Festival in 2024, where it was the only debut film to compete for the Palme d’Or and became one of the major surprises of the festival. Critics particularly highlighted Riedinger’s precise examination of social media culture, beauty ideals, and class relations, as well as Malou Khebizi’s compelling performance.
“Through intense imagery, this confidently staged debut film traces the protagonist’s journey between a precarious everyday life, reality TV dreams, and radical self-determination. In doing so, it examines the mechanisms of the cult of beauty and hypersexualization without passing judgment, creating poignant moments that straddle transcendence and social critique.” (Lexikon des Internationalen Films)
Liane (Malou Khebizi) is obsessed: with the beauty of others, with sculpting her own body, and with her dream of making it big as a social media influencer. For Liane, it would be a potential escape from a life that’s anything but glamorous.
But this path isn’t easy: the 19-year-old has already had breast and lip augmentation. She financed these procedures through petty theft. Instead of facing reality, Liane dreams and hopes—and suddenly, her potential breakthrough is just around the corner: The young woman has the chance to appear on the next season of a reality TV show—but the producers expect more than Liane is willing to give...
French director Agathe Riedinger’s first feature film was invited to the official competition of the 77th Cannes International Film Festival in 2024, where it was the only debut film to compete for the Palme d’Or and became one of the major surprises of the festival. Critics particularly highlighted Riedinger’s precise examination of social media culture, beauty ideals, and class relations, as well as Malou Khebizi’s compelling performance.
“Through intense imagery, this confidently staged debut film traces the protagonist’s journey between a precarious everyday life, reality TV dreams, and radical self-determination. In doing so, it examines the mechanisms of the cult of beauty and hypersexualization without passing judgment, creating poignant moments that straddle transcendence and social critique.” (Lexikon des Internationalen Films)