Daguerrotype (film)

Lore & Background

The film follows Stéphane, a renowned fashion photographer living in seclusion in a dilapidated house in the Paris suburbs with his daughter and muse Marie. Obsessed with his wife's unexpected death, Stéphane creates daguerreotypes of Marie daily, requiring her to remain immobile for long periods while wearing an old-fashioned blue dress. Jean, a young Parisian who becomes Stéphane's new assistant, falls in love with Marie and is disturbed by the lengthy photo sessions. Together, Jean and Marie attempt to free Stéphane from his obsession. Jean decides to convince Stéphane to sell his real estate, hoping the money will allow Jean and Marie to start a new life elsewhere and enable Stéphane to recreate his photography studio, but things do not go as planned.

Reader's Guide

Daguerrotype received mixed reviews, holding a 46% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 13 reviews, with an average rating of 5.88/10. Boyd van Hoeij of The Hollywood Reporter praised a double-take scene in an empty church for its understatement, while Sam Fragoso of TheWrap described the film as 'two or three movies haphazardly wrapped into one.' Andrew Barker of Variety called it 'heavy on moody atmospherics yet fundamentally inert,' and Keith Uhlich of Slant Magazine noted its resemblance to William Dieterle's 1948 romantic fantasy film Portrait of Jennie. The film screened at multiple international festivals including the Busan International Film Festival, Tokyo International Film Festival, Nippon Connection, and Japan Cuts.

Did You Know?

• The film is also known as The Woman in the Silver Plate in English.
• It had its world premiere in the Platform section at the 2016 Toronto International Film Festival on 11 September 2016.
• The cast includes Tahar Rahim, Constance Rousseau, and Olivier Gourmet.
• The film was released in Japan on 15 October 2016 and in France on 8 March 2017.