Reviews

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  ★★★★ review by thatguygabriel on Letterboxd

  “Sublime.”

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  ★★★★ review by adrianbalboa on Letterboxd

  hi i'm 5'5" but am very interested in wearing ballgowns who will make me a supermodel

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  ★★★★ review by Am Y on Letterboxd

  Well, this is a biased rating, first off, because I love fashion and have yearned for such a film to come by, and now it has! But non-fashion lovers might still like this for its educational value, and there is a proper build-up to the climax which occurs at the very end of the documentary. If finding out what goes on behind the making of a new season's couture line interests you at all, then this is a must-watch.

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  ★★★★ review by Eli Hauser on Letterboxd

  drama...  intrigue... sewing

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  ★★★★ review by Tim Burnham on Letterboxd

  A slight and simple documentary brimming with style and punctuated with gorgeous, almost unworldly melodies.  The credits music is The XX (Reunion) if that gives you any indication of the level of calm, slick, cool that permeates this thing.

  It tells a story about a man (Raf Simons) crafting his name under the weight of expectation with his first show for Dior, but moreso under the heavy shadow of his predecessor, the master, Christian Dior.  It's clear from the start he is an artist and a visionary, uncompromising.  And while the film never really digs in deeply enough, we do quite a lot of interesting and tense moments as he enters the house of Dior and immediately butts heads with his stressed design team.

  And this is just me, but few things are more enjoyable and purely satisfying for entertainment sake than watching a group of impassioned artists butting heads and fighting through disharmony for the purpose of their work.  

  And when inevitably it comes time and it all works out, we get some of the best moments of humility and honesty from Raf as he confronts a fear of the stage, initially trying to give as little facetime as possible at his show, allowing himself a few moments on the day of to break down and acknowledge that he has made it, and then to run up on stage at the end, victorious.

  The film could do with a meatier runtime and perhaps a little more time spent with him and on developing those around him but in the end it's a very slick and satisfying production charged with energy, rhythm, and passion.

  Btw, when it ended, I couldn't help but think that David Fincher needs to make a film in the fashion industry.  The stakes and egos and deeply held emotions would be perfect for him to dig his claws into.

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