Sustained by a steady direction and a camera that moves confidently to capture every single, significant twinkle, the result is a dry, harsh movie, always carefully focused. The environment is that of squalid burlesque shows, with ageing and decadent women, selling old-fashioned and sad shows, in anonymous theatres of anonymous French towns. Their daily routine is sad, the contrast between the excess of their shows and the nothingness of their real lives sounds depressing. They are taken on tour around an absent France by Joachim, a former TV producer, who abandoned by everyone, now makes a living by finding a suitable theatre for their performances, in a way using them in order to come back to Paris as the successful man he'll never be. All these women feel alive only when on stage, where they can play the game of seduction and forget the sadness looming over their lives, with no family, no relationships, no roots. Joachim's character is a living failure, to the point that those women become his only family, more than his own children. A decadent and depressing humanity, depicted with mercilessness but also inspiring compassion. The cast, made up of real new burlesque performers, proves indeed authentic and capable of conveying pathos. In particular Mathieu Amalric as Joachim delivers a strong and emotionally involving performance, which goes hand in hand with his skillful direction.
