Personal Shopper

Last updated

Personal Shopper
Personal Shopper poster.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Olivier Assayas
Written byOlivier Assayas
Produced by Charles Gillibert
Starring
Cinematography Yorick Le Saux
Edited by Marion Monnier
Music by Sebastien Pan
Production
companies
Distributed by
  • The Searchers (Belgium)
  • Artcam Films (Czech Republic)
  • Les Films du Losange (France)
  • Weltkino Filmverleih (Germany)
Release dates
  • 17 May 2016 (2016-05-17)(Cannes)
  • 14 December 2016 (2016-12-14)(Belgium and France)
  • 19 January 2017 (2017-01-19)(Germany)
  • 27 April 2017 (2017-04-27)(Czech Republic)
Running time
106 minutes
Countries
  • France
  • Germany
  • Czech Republic
  • Belgium
Languages
  • English
  • French
  • Swedish
Box office$2.7 million [1]

Personal Shopper is a 2016 supernatural psychological thriller film written and directed by Olivier Assayas. [2] The film stars Kristen Stewart as a young American woman in Paris who works as a personal shopper for a celebrity and tries to communicate with her deceased twin brother.

Contents

An international co-production of Belgium, Czech Republic, France and Germany, [3] the film was selected to compete for the Palme d'Or at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival. [4] [5] At Cannes, Assayas shared the Best Director Award with Cristian Mungiu, who directed Graduation . [6] The film was released on 14 December 2016 in France and 10 March 2017 in the United States. It received positive reviews from critics, with particular praise for Stewart's performance.

Plot

Maureen Cartwright is a personal shopper in Paris for Kyra Gellman, a supermodel. Maureen is waiting for her twin brother, Lewis, who recently died of a genetic heart condition, to fulfill their pact to send a signal from the afterlife. She stays overnight at Lewis's house in hopes of receiving a sign and briefly encounters a spiritual presence. Lewis's girlfriend, Lara, goes with Maureen to meet a couple acquainted with Lewis who are interested in buying the house. The wife mentions the artist Hilma af Klint, whose paintings were inspired by messages from the spirit world. Later, Maureen video chats with her boyfriend, Gary, a contractor in Muscat, Oman, who encourages her to visit him, which she turns down.

The next day, at Kyra's apartment, Maureen meets Ingo, a magazine editor and Kyra's lover. He tells Maureen that Kyra is planning to break up with him out of fear her husband will discover their relationship. Maureen returns to Lewis's house and is disturbed by the bathroom's faucets turning on. After inspecting the house, she finds her drawings have been violently scratched out, and is terrorized by a malefic female specter.

Maureen begins receiving text messages from an unknown sender she initially suspects is Lewis. The messenger encourages her to indulge in forbidden desires, such as wearing Kyra's clothes. Maureen goes to Kyra's place to wear her clothes and masturbates in Kyra's bed. She falls asleep, is awoken by the same female specter, and tells Lara the next morning that there is no longer a supernatural presence in the house.

The enigmatic messenger leaves Maureen a room key for a hotel. Donning one of Kyra's newest dresses, Maureen goes to the room to find it empty. She attempts to investigate the texter's identity by inquiring at the front desk, but the room was paid for in cash and reserved under her name.

Maureen drops off Kyra's jewelry at the apartment, cautiously opens Kyra's bedroom door, and finds Kyra's corpse on the bathroom floor. She flees on her motorcycle before returning to call the police. At the police station, she is interrogated about her relationship with Kyra but released. She ignores the texter, who demands to know whether Maureen revealed their conversations to the police. Returning to her apartment, Maureen phones Gary to accept his offer to visit Muscat. She discovers Kyra's jewelry in her apartment, despite telling the police she left it at Kyra's place. The texter demands that Maureen return to the hotel room. She does, bringing the jewelry. At the hotel, Maureen seemingly recognizes a clandestine person entering the room. Elevators and doors in the hotel are then shown opening and closing for an invisible entity. Afterward, Ingo is shown leaving the hotel and being apprehended by two policemen. He confesses to Kyra's murder.

Meeting Lara at a café, Maureen asks to stay with her before joining Gary in Oman. The next morning, Maureen meets Erwin, Lara's new boyfriend, who knew Lewis. He leaves for work, and as Maureen sits in the garden alone, a ghostly figure appears in the kitchen holding a glass. The figure disappears and the glass levitates briefly before shattering on the floor.

Maureen flies to Oman to stay with Gary in the mountains. At his retreat, she hears a noise and finds a glass floating in the air; it falls and shatters. She asks yes/no questions aloud, which are answered with one thump for "yes" and two for "no". Getting no response to "Lewis, is it you?", she asks, "Is it just me?", and hears a single thump.

Cast

Production

In May 2015, it was announced that Olivier Assayas would be directing the film from a screenplay he wrote, with Kristen Stewart starring. He wrote it for Stewart after working with her in Clouds of Sils Maria . Charles Gillibert produced the film under his CG Cinema banner. [7] In October 2015, Sigrid Bouaziz, Lars Eidinger, Anders Danielsen Lie, and Nora von Waldstätten were cast in the film. [8] In November 2015, Ty Olwin was cast. [9]

Principal photography began on 27 October 2015 in Paris for two weeks and then moved to Prague, London, and Oman. [8]

Release

The film had its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival on 17 May 2016, where it competed for the Palme d'Or. [4] [5] The film was distributed by Les Films du Losange in France, and IFC Films in North America. [10] Universal Pictures distributed the film internationally. [11] The film was screened at the 2016 Toronto International Film Festival [12] and the New York Film Festival. [13] It was released in France on 14 December 2016 [14] and in the United States on 10 March 2017. [15]

In the United States, the movie grossed $79,175 in four theaters for an average of $19,794, the highest of the weekend. After adding 31 theaters the next weekend, it grossed $152,478. The movie's final US domestic total was $1,305,195, with a worldwide gross of $2.2 million against a $1 million budget, making it a box-office success.

Critical reception

Personal Shopper received generally positive reviews from film critics. Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reports a score of 81% based on 274 reviews with an average rating of 7.2/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Personal Shopper attempts a tricky series of potentially jarring tonal shifts with varying results, bolstered by a performance from Kristen Stewart that's impossible to ignore." [16] On Metacritic, the film holds a rating of 77 out of 100, based on 38 critics. [17] The film was booed at its initial screening at the Cannes Film Festival, about which Assayas said, "It happens every once and a while[ sic ] where people just don't get the ending." [18] [19] At its official premiere at Cannes, the film received a 4+1⁄2-minute standing ovation. [20] [21]

The Guardian awarded the film five out of five, calling it "uncategorisable yet undeniably terrifying". [22] Stephanie Zacharek of Time gave a positive review, writing, "Personal Shopper is a strange and beautifully made film, and both star and director are clearly energized by their dual mission." She listed it as one of Time's top ten films of 2017. [23] A. O. Scott of The New York Times called the film "sleek and spooky, seductive and suspenseful. It flirts with silliness, as ghost stories do. And also with heartbreak." [2]

Accolades

YearOrganizationCategoryRecipient(s) and Nominee(s)Outcome
2016 Cannes Film Festival Best Director Olivier Assayas Won
Oaxaca FilmFest [24] Best Actress Kristen Stewart Won
Online Film Critics Society Best Non-U.S. ReleasePersonal ShopperWon
2017 Austin Film Critics Association [25] Best ActressKristen StewartNominated
Dublin Film Critics' Circle [26] Best ActressKristen StewartNominated
Florida Film Critics Circle Best Cinematography Yorick Le Saux Nominated
Indiana Film Journalists Association [27] Best ActressKristen StewartNominated
Indiewire Annual Critics Poll [28] Best FilmPersonal Shopper8th place
Best ActressKristen Stewart5th place
International Cinephile Society Best Picture Not Released in 2016Personal ShopperNominated
International Film Festival Rotterdam Best DirectorOlivier AssayasNominated
Las Vegas Film Critics Society [29] Best ActressKristen StewartNominated
St. Louis Film Critics Association Best ActressKristen StewartNominated
2018 International Cinephile Society Best PicturePersonal Shopper3rd place
Best ActressKristen StewartNominated
Best Original ScreenplayOlivier AssayasNominated
Best Film Editing Marion Monnier Nominated
Talk Film Society Best ActressKristen StewartNominated
Village Voice Annual Film Poll Best FilmPersonal Shopper7th place
Best ActressKristen Stewart5th place
Fright Meter Awards Best ActressKristen StewartNominated
Best Costume Design Jürgen Doering Nominated
Best ScreenplayOlivier AssayasNominated
Sant Jordi Awards Best Foreign FilmPersonal ShopperNominated
Best Actress in a Foreign FilmKristen StewartNominated

Related Research Articles

<i>Irma Vep</i> 1996 film by Olivier Assayas

Irma Vep is a 1996 French comedy-drama film written and directed by Olivier Assayas. Hong Kong actress Maggie Cheung plays a fictionalised version of herself, as disasters result when an unstable French film director attempts to remake Louis Feuillade's classic silent film serial Les Vampires (1915–16). Taking place largely through the eyes of a foreigner (Cheung), it is also a meditation on the state of the French film industry.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Olivier Assayas</span> French film director, screenwriter and film critic

Olivier Assayas is a French film director, screenwriter and film critic. Assayas is known for his eclectic filmography, consisting of slow-burning period pieces, psychological thrillers, neo-noirs, and comedies. He has directed French, Spanish, and English-language films with international casts. The son of filmmaker Jacques Rémy, Assayas began his career as a critic for Cahiers du Cinéma. There he wrote about world cinema and its film auteurs, who later influenced his work. Assayas made several short films, and made his feature debut with Disorder in 1986.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kristen Stewart</span> American actress (born 1990)

Kristen Jaymes Stewart is an American actress. She has received various accolades, including a British Academy Film Award and a César Award, in addition to nominations for an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2006 Cannes Film Festival</span>

The 59th Cannes Film Festival was held from 17 to 28 May 2006. Twenty films from eleven countries were in competition for the Palme d'Or. The President of the Official selection Jury was Wong Kar-wai, the first Chinese director to preside over the jury.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1996 Cannes Film Festival</span> Film festival

The 49th Cannes Film Festival was held from 9 to 20 May 1996. The Palme d'Or went to Secrets & Lies by Mike Leigh.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mia Hansen-Løve</span> French film director

Mia Hansen-Løve is a French film director, screenwriter, and former actress. She has won several accolades for her work. Her first feature film, All Is Forgiven, won the Louis Delluc Prize for Best First Film in 2007 along with Céline Sciamma's Water Lilies. Hansen-Løve's film Father of My Children won the Special Jury Prize in the Un Certain Regard section at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival. In 2014, Hansen-Løve was awarded the status of Chevalier in the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres. In 2016, she won the Silver Bear for Best Director for her film Things to Come at the 66th Berlin International Film Festival, as well as becoming a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

<i>Carlos</i> (miniseries) 2010 Film directed by Olivier Assayas

Carlos, also known as Carlos the Jackal, is a 2010 French-German biographical film and television miniseries about the life of Venezuelan terrorist Ilich Ramírez Sánchez, nicknamed Carlos the Jackal, covering his first series of attacks in 1973 until his arrest in 1994. It premiered as a three-part TV mini-series on French pay channel Canal+, with the three parts airing on May 19, May 26, and June 2, 2010. On the same day it premiered on Canal+, the full 5½-hour version was also shown out of competition at the 2010 Cannes Film Festival.

Anders Danielsen Lie is a Norwegian actor, musician and physician.

<i>Blue Is the Warmest Colour</i> 2013 film by Abdellatif Kechiche

Blue Is the Warmest Colour is a 2013 romantic drama film co-written, co-produced, and directed by Abdellatif Kechiche and starring Léa Seydoux and Adèle Exarchopoulos. The film follows Adèle (Exarchopoulos), a French teenager, who discovers desire and freedom when Emma (Seydoux), an aspiring painter, enters her life. It depicts their relationship from Adèle's high school years to her early adult life and career as a schoolteacher. The film's premise is based on the 2010 graphic novel of the same name by Jul Maroh.

<i>Clouds of Sils Maria</i> 2014 film

Clouds of Sils Maria is a 2014 psychological drama film written and directed by Olivier Assayas, and starring Juliette Binoche, Kristen Stewart, and Chloë Grace Moretz. The film is a French-German-Swiss co-production. Principal photography took place from August to October 2013, with most of the filming taking place in Sils Maria, Switzerland. The film follows an established middle-aged actress (Binoche) who is cast as the older lover in a romantic lesbian drama opposite an upstart young starlet (Moretz). She is overcome with personal insecurities and professional jealousies—all while sexual tension simmers between her and her personal assistant (Stewart). The screenplay was written with Binoche in mind and incorporates elements from her life into the plot.

Charles Gillibert is a French film producer.

<i>The Last Face</i> 2016 American film

The Last Face is a 2016 American drama film directed by Sean Penn and written by Erin Dignam. The film stars Charlize Theron, Javier Bardem, Adèle Exarchopoulos, and Jean Reno. It was selected to compete for the Palme d'Or at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival, debuting to generally poor reviews. The film was released on DirecTV on June 29, 2017, before being released on video on demand and in theaters on July 28, 2017, by Saban Films.

<i>Dheepan</i> 2015 film

Dheepan is a 2015 French crime drama film directed by Jacques Audiard and co-written by Audiard, Thomas Bidegain, and Noé Debré. The film was partly inspired by Montesquieu's Persian Letters, as well as the 1971 film Straw Dogs, with guidance from Antonythasan Jesuthasan, who stars as the title character.

<i>Café Society</i> (2016 film) American film directed by Woody Allen

Café Society is a 2016 American romantic comedy-drama film written and directed by Woody Allen. It stars Jesse Eisenberg, Kristen Stewart, Steve Carell, Jeannie Berlin, Blake Lively, Parker Posey, Corey Stoll, and Ken Stott. The plot follows a young man who moves to Hollywood in the 1930s, where he falls in love with the assistant to his uncle, a powerful talent agent.

<i>Hitchcock/Truffaut</i> (film) 2015 film

Hitchcock/Truffaut is a 2015 French-American documentary film directed by Kent Jones.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nora Waldstätten</span> Austrian actress (born 1981)

Nora Marie Theres Beatrice Elisabeth Waldstätten, also formerly known as Nora von Waldstätten, is an Austrian actress.

<i>Non-Fiction</i> (film) 2018 film

Non-Fiction is a 2018 French comedy film directed by Olivier Assayas. It stars Guillaume Canet, Juliette Binoche, Vincent Macaigne, Nora Hamzawi, Christa Théret, and Pascal Greggory. It was selected to be screened in the main competition section of the 75th Venice International Film Festival in 2018. It was released in France on 16 January 2019, by Ad Vitam Distribution.

<i>Wasp Network</i> (film) 2019 film by Olivier Assayas

Wasp Network is a 2019 spy thriller film written and directed by Olivier Assayas, based on the book The Last Soldiers of the Cold War by Fernando Morais. It stars Penélope Cruz, Édgar Ramírez, Gael García Bernal, Ana de Armas and Wagner Moura. It tells the true story of Cuban spies in American territory during the 1990s.

Irma Vep is a comedy drama television miniseries created, written and directed by Olivier Assayas for HBO. Based on Assayas's 1996 film of the same name, the series premiered at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival on May 22. It debuted on June 6, 2022 and concluded on July 25, consisting of eight episodes.

References

  1. ↑ "Personal Shopper". The Numbers . Retrieved 15 January 2019.
  2. 1 2 Scott, A. O. (9 March 2017). "Review: Kristen Stewart Is Entrancing as a Haunted 'Personal Shopper'". The New York Times . Retrieved 10 November 2017.
  3. ↑ "Personal Shopper. 2016. Directed by Olivier Assayas". Museum of Modern Art . Retrieved 29 December 2017.
  4. 1 2 "2016 Cannes Film Festival Announces Lineup". IndieWire . 14 April 2016. Retrieved 14 April 2016.
  5. 1 2 "Cannes 2016: Film Festival Unveils Official Selection Lineup". Variety . 14 April 2016. Retrieved 14 April 2016.
  6. ↑ "Cannes Film Festival Winners: Palme d'Or to Ken Loach's 'I, Daniel Blake'". Deadline Hollywood . 22 May 2016. Retrieved 22 May 2016.
  7. ↑ Keslassy, Elsa (15 May 2015). "Cannes: Kristen Stewart to Star in Ghost Story 'Personal Shopper' for Olivier Assayas (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety . Retrieved 21 April 2016.
  8. 1 2 Goodfellow, Melanie (14 October 2015). "Olivier Assayas, Kristen Stewart reunite on set of 'Personal Shopper'". Screen Daily. Retrieved 21 April 2016.
  9. ↑ Ratney, Ruth L (23 November 2015). "Olwin lands first film role in an international feature". ReelChicago.com. Retrieved 21 April 2016.
  10. ↑ Keslassy, Elsa (13 February 2016). "Berlin: Kristen Stewart's 'Shopper' Tops MK2 Sales Deals". Variety . Retrieved 21 April 2016.
  11. ↑ Barraclough, Leo (6 June 2016). "Universal Picks Up Kristen Stewart's 'Personal Shopper' in Multiple Territories". Variety . Retrieved 5 August 2016.
  12. ↑ "Personal Shopper". Archived from the original on 17 September 2016. Retrieved 6 October 2016.
  13. ↑ "Personal Shopper - NYFF54" . Retrieved 6 October 2016.
  14. ↑ "Personal Shopper". Les Films du Losange . Retrieved 2 April 2017.
  15. ↑ Busis, Hillary (29 September 2016). "Kristen Stewart Just Can't Give Up the Ghost in Personal Shopper". Vanity Fair . Retrieved 29 September 2016.
  16. ↑ "Personal Shopper (2016)". Rotten Tomatoes . 10 March 2017. Retrieved 20 November 2022.
  17. ↑ "Personal Shopper". Metacritic. Retrieved 28 December 2021.
  18. ↑ Variety Staff (16 May 2016). "Kristen Stewart's 'Personal Shopper' Booed at Cannes Premiere". Variety. Retrieved 21 May 2016.
  19. ↑ Alexander, Bryan (17 May 2016). "Why was Kristen Stewart's 'Personal Shopper' booed at Cannes?". USA Today . Retrieved 21 May 2016.
  20. ↑ Calvario, Liz (18 May 2016). "Kristen Stewart's 'Personal Shopper' Receives Standing Ovation At Cannes Premiere After Getting Booed" . Retrieved 21 May 2016.
  21. ↑ Gardner, Chris (17 May 2016). "Cannes: Kristen Stewart's 'Personal Shopper' Receives 4-Minute-Plus Standing Ovation". The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved 21 May 2016.
  22. ↑ Bradshaw, Peter (16 May 2016). "Personal Shopper review: Kristen Stewart's psychic spooker is a must-have". The Guardian. Retrieved 17 May 2016.
  23. ↑ Zacharek, Stephanie (7 December 2017). "The Top 10 Movies of 2017". Time . Retrieved 13 December 2017.
  24. ↑ "Personal Shopper: Prix de la meilleure actrice à l'Oaxaca Film Festival". 16 October 2016. Retrieved 14 November 2016.
  25. ↑ "Austin Film Critics on Twitter".
  26. ↑ Entertainment.ie (13 December 2017). "Dublin Film Critics Circle Awards for 2017 announced" . Retrieved 21 December 2017.
  27. ↑ "Indiana Film Journalists Association". indianafilmjournalists.com. Retrieved 21 December 2017.
  28. ↑ Kohn, Eric (19 December 2017). "2017 Critics Poll: The Best Films and Performances According to Over 200 Critics" . Retrieved 21 December 2017.
  29. ↑ Biggs, Colin. "Alright, ballot is due for the .@LVFilmCritics. Find out what wins at the #LVFCSAwards on Dec. 18th!pic.twitter.com/SzgEo7N5yf" . Retrieved 21 December 2017.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.