Number One Fan (Elle l'Adore)

From The Distrib Films Collection

Directed by Jeanne Herry

105 minutes / Color
French / English subtitles
Release: 2014
Copyright: 2014

film poster

Muriel is a big talker. In fact, she makes stuff up all the time and always tells tall tales.

In first-time director Judith Herry’s tragi-comedy NUMBER ONE FAN, Sandrine Kiberlain (Life of RileyMademoiselle Chambon) stars as Muriel, a beautician who, for the past two decades, has been French crooner Vincent Lacroix’s (Laurent Lafitte: Bright Days Ahead) number one fan. She spends most of her free time keeping up with his new songs and his shows. Then one night, she opens her door to find Vincent – her idol – standing on her doorstep. His arrival turns Muriel’s life upside down as she embarks on a journey that even she could not have invented.

Filled with twists that keep the suspense high, NUMBER ONE FAN was the winner of the Ornano Prize at the 2014 Deauville American Film Festival. In the US, it closed the 2015 Focus on French Cinema Film Festival and is part of the official selection at this year’s Colcoa Film Festival in Los Angeles.

"An exceptionally well-polished French thriller." — Peter Debruge, Variety

"Very enjoyable... it is the appeal of the characters and the performances, along with the teasing but methodical presentation of the narrative, that makes the film so fun and involving." — Douglas Pratt, The DVD Laser Disk Newsletter

"A dark, funny, oddly real study of obsession." — James van Maanen, TrustMovies

"The narrative is fascinating." — Sarah Gopaul, Digital Journal

"There’s plenty of dark humor mixed in with acute observations of how people create their own little worlds and how easy it can be to lose sight of the fact that there’s a difference between the inside of your individual head and the shared reality that passes for the real world." — Sarah Boslaugh, The Arts STL

"It’s Kiberlain’s movie and she makes the most of the juicy role of a beautician with a vivid imagination who goes to great lengths to impress her hero. It’s a bit like “Strangers On A Train” with a French twist." — Amy Longsdorf, Camden Courier Post 

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Select Accolades

  • Cesar Award 2015: Sandrine Kiberlain – Best Actress Nomination
  • 2015 Focus on French Cinema Film Festival
  • 2015 Colcoa Film Festival
  • 2014 Deauville American Film Festival

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