Manhattan socialite cashes in her possessions and resolves to live in a Paris apartment with her directionless son and a cat. A film by Azazel Jacobs, starring Michelle Pfeiffer, Lucas Hedges, Valerie Mahaffey, Imogen Poots, Susan Coyne, Danielle Macdonald, Isaach De Bankolé, Daniel di Tomasso, and Tracy Letts.

Frances Price (Michelle Pfeiffer) receives devastating news from her financial advisor Mr. Baker (Robert Higden): she’s officially bankrupt. Following her husband’s death, she had maintained an extravagant lifestyle despite her advisor’s warnings seven years ago. Back then, she assumed she would die before depleting her enormous fortune – and she’s rather surprised she’s still alive.

My plan was to die before the money ran out, but I kept and keep not dying and… here I am.

Now, with her accounts empty, she and her son Malcolm (Lucas Hedges) face imminent eviction from their New York home. Mr. Baker advises her to quietly sell off her valuables – the jewelry and expensive paintings – as quickly as possible to raise cash. This needs to be done discreetly, as the bank would seize everything if they found out.

Malcolm is in a relationship with Susan (Imogen Poots), who’s been urging him to tell his mother about their engagement. She insists on accompanying him to break the news, but Malcolm maintains that he should tell his mother himself. However, once again, timing isn’t on his side – after learning about the bankruptcy, he finds himself unable to bring up the subject at all.

Fortunately, Frances’s childhood friend Joan (Susan Coyne) offers a solution, suggesting that Frances should relocate to Paris and stay at her long-vacant apartment. Joan believes that leaving the chaos of New York behind might be exactly what Frances needs.

Malcolm says goodbye to his girlfriend before leaving for France with his mother and their family cat. Frances has sold their household belongings for cash, unsure when — or if — they will ever return.

While Frances and Malcolm travel to Paris on a large ocean liner, they encounter Madeleine (Danielle Macdonald), a medium who can see people’s futures and deaths. She claims that the black cat contains the spirit of Frank, Frances’s deceased husband and Malcolm’s father.

In Paris, Frances receives an invitation card from Madame Reynard (Valerie Mahaffey) to attend a party at her home. However, when Frances and Malcolm arrive, they discover that Frances is the only invited guest. Madame Reynard is a recent widow who lost her husband the previous year. She previously lived in New York and has long admired Frances from afar. When she learned that Frances was traveling to Paris, she gathered her courage to invite Frances to her home, hoping they might become good friends.

I’ve never understood them. Is it something one uses alone or with someone there to…help? But why would you want it cold?

Despite having no job, Frances continues to live lavishly and spend money extravagantly. Her cash reserves gradually dwindle until one night when the black cat scratches Frances, leaving her injured before escaping from the house. Frances becomes frantic, not knowing where to find the cat. She remembers that Madeleine might be able to use her psychic powers to locate the cat, but she doesn’t know Madeleine’s whereabouts. Madame Reynard then suggests hiring a private detective to track down Madeleine.

You know what a cliché is? It’s a story so fine and thrilling that it’s grown old in its hopeful retelling. People tell it. Not so many live it.

Directed by American filmmaker Azazel Jacobs, “French Exit” is a film adaptation of the novel by Canadian author Patrick deWitt, who also wrote the screenplay. The novel was first published on 28 August 2018, by House of Anansi Press. The book received critical acclaim and was shortlisted for the Giller Prize.

The Giller Prize, officially known as the Scotiabank Giller Prize since 2005, is a prestigious Canadian literary award established in 1994 by Jack Rabinovitch in memory of his late wife, Doris Giller, a literary journalist. It recognizes excellence in English-language fiction by Canadian authors, specifically novels and short story collections published in the previous year.

I loved it! Truly entertaining. I enjoyed the storytelling that captures the Wes Anderson-like essence in its use of color, framing, and visual composition, combined with a Woody Allen-esque sense of wonder. The narrative beautifully blurs the lines between reality and the inexplicable, creating an atmosphere of delightful ambiguity. The open-ended conclusion invites viewers to interpret the story for themselves. After watching, I couldn’t help but be reminded of Midnight in Paris.

For Michelle Pfeiffer fans, this film is not to be missed. It’s arguably one of her best performances, blending elements of the bizarre, sardonic humor, and a radiant sense of elegance. Lucas Hedges’s role here is strikingly similar to his character in LET THEM ALL TALK – I wonder why he keeps getting cast in such similar parts.

French Exit premiered at New York Film Festival on 10 October 2020. The film received a limited theatrical release in the United States 12 February 2021, by Sony Pictures Classics, before expanding nationwide on 2 April.