I realized trying to be perfect is a toxic journey.

Weekly Directed By Women Viewing Guide

Adèle Exarchopoulos in Léa Mysius’s fantastical drama Les Cinq Diables

This week I am recommending a new French fantasy-drama, plus six streaming picks (including a peek into the book of interviews I’ve been working on for the past year).

Sally Dramé as Vicky in Léa Mysius’s Les Cinq Diables

Léa Mysius’s sophomore film Les Cinq Diables (The Five Devils) premiered at last year’s Cannes Film Festival as part of its Directors' Fortnight section. In it newcomer Sally Dramé stars as a young girl named Vicky who has the power to recreate any smell she wants. She keeps these smells in jars where she can revisit them whenever she wants — what’s more, some of the smells even allow her to travel back in time to the memories of the people attached to them. It’s through these mechanics we learn how Vicky’s parents Joanne (Adèle Exarchopoulos) and Jimmy (Moustapha Mbengue) met, and why the reappearance of Jimmy’s sister Julia (Swala Emati) causes such emotional upheaval. Although the film’s many threads don’t always cohere, the stunning cinematography by Paul Guilhaume (who also co-wrote the script) at least gives the film a distinct visual flare. It’s playing now at the Angelika Film Center in NYC, and will be expanding to theaters across the country over the next few weeks, before streaming on MUBI starting May 12th.

Joséphine Japy and Lou de Laâge in Mélanie Laurent’s Respire (Breathe)