| Between Two Worlds | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| French | Ouistreham |
| Directed by | Emmanuel Carrère |
| Screenplay by |
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| Based on | The Night Cleaner byFlorence Aubenas |
| Produced by |
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| Starring | Juliette Binoche |
| Cinematography | Patrick Blossier |
| Edited by | Albertine Lastera |
| Music by | Mathieu Lamboley |
Production companies |
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| Distributed by | Memento Distribution |
Release dates |
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Running time | 106 minutes |
| Country | France |
| Language | French |
| Box office | $3.9 million[1] |
Between Two Worlds (French:Ouistreham) is a 2021 Frenchdrama film directed byEmmanuel Carrère, loosely based onFlorence Aubenas's 2010 autobiographical bookThe Night Cleaner. StarringJuliette Binoche, it had its world premiere as the opening film of theDirectors' Fortnight section at the2021 Cannes Film Festival on 7 July 2021.
Parisian journalist Marianne Winckler goes undercover in the world oftemporary andprecarious work, applying to work a series of menial jobs including a position as a cleaning lady aboard a ferry service betweenOuistreham andPortsmouth.
Between Two Worlds was selected to be screened as the opening film in theDirectors' Fortnight section at the2021 Cannes Film Festival.[2] It had its world premiere at Cannes on 7 July 2021.[3] It was theatrically released by Memento Distribution in France on 12 January 2022.[4]
The film was released in the United States byCohen Media Group on 11 August 2023.[5]
Between Two Worlds grossed $3.1 million in France for a worldwide total of $3.9 million.[1]
OnRotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 79% based on 58 reviews, with an average rating of 6.7/10. The site's critics consensus reads: "Led by a typically brilliant performance from Juliette Binoche,Between Two Worlds takes a pointed yet possibly patronizing look at the human face ofeconomic inequality."[6] According toMetacritic, which assigned a weighted average score of 60 out of 100 based on 15 critics, the film received "mixed or average" reviews.[7]Between Two Worlds received an average rating of 3.5 out of 5 stars on the French websiteAlloCiné, based on 37 reviews.[8]
Anna Smith ofDeadline Hollywood wrote, "Between Two Worlds hits all the beats of an arthouse crowd pleaser for audiences who, like Marianne, can go back to their comfortable homes with a renewed appreciation for the people who clean up after them."[9] Ben Kenigsberg ofRogerEbert.com called it an "adequatemuckraking drama that avoids the hectoring tone of certain recentKen Loach films."[10] Wendy Ide ofScreen Daily wrote, "Certainly, this picture ticks plenty of social realist boxes. But there's a satisfying added depth born out of the persuasively fleshed out performances and the focus on female friendship."[11] Also writing inThe Observer, Ide specifically praised the "incendiary, scene-dominating turn from newcomer Hélène Lambert" for giving the film "its jagged, furious energy".[12]Variety's Peter Debruge criticized the film's portrayal of cleaning women and wrote, "It's not clear whether watching Binoche scrub a few toilets is meant to dignify/humanize those stuck doing such chores, or to underscore the lengths to which she'll go as an actor. Filmmakers have been embedding themselves in "invisible" communities for years now —Nomadland directorChloé Zhao has been a pioneer of this approach — andBetween Two Worlds feels behind the curve."[13] In a 3-star review, Edward Porter ofThe Sunday Times lamented that "the script's balance is off: the journalist's ethical dilemmas become too big a part of the drama. The best scenes are those in which she gets to know some of her colleagues and hears their stories."[14]
| Award | Date of ceremony | Category | Recipient(s) | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| César Awards | 24 February 2023 | Best Actress | Juliette Binoche | Nominated | [15] |
| Lumière Awards | 16 January 2023 | Best Actress | Juliette Binoche | Nominated | [16] |
| Best Female Revelation | Hélène Lambert | Nominated |
