“Madame” film review: A working-class French woman takes care of a Saudi prince’s mistress in this smart, nuanced debut

Laura (Malou Khbeis), a young French woman, works as a personal assistant/cleaner/cook for Soria (Sondos Misbah), the virtually imprisoned mistress of a Saudi prince (Qassem Al-Khoja), in this smart, psychologically nuanced French drama. my lady (If the golden triangle).

Director Hélène Rousselet Ruiz’s debut feature film, co-written by Rousselette Ruiz and Pauline Gena, was reportedly inspired by a very similar experience the director herself had working for a wealthy family in a Gulf state, though adjustments were made to facilitate the drama. The tyrannical behavior of Surya, who is not allowed to leave her gilded cage in the palace, and the conspicuous consumption she and her lover enjoy may seem outrageous, but the environment is depicted quite convincingly – right down to the keeping of a miserable black panther in a locked cupboard, which the Emir (Ziyad Bakri) must drug daily lest he cry all day and night in despair. Overall, the film offers a thoughtful analysis of the class, gender, and cultural dynamics inherent in the basic situation, without preaching or arguing.

The opening scene shows a variety of women, including Laura, interviewing a recruiter for an assistant position, all filmed by low-resolution security cameras, a device that is prevalent throughout the film, though thankfully not in the entire film. The security footage, with its date and time stamps and odd angles, serves as a reminder of the vigilance of the Saudi family that eventually hired Laura, shadowy figures who mostly watch behind the cameras to make sure their employees and subjects like Syria are doing what they’re supposed to do.

In fact, there is some ambiguity about who Laura is supposed to report to. She is paid to be under Suriya’s care and in contact with her every moment of the day, often waking up at odd times of the night to run errands, such as going out to buy every item on a fast food restaurant’s menu and bringing it back for a midnight feast. At the same time, Palestinian employee Emre reminds Laura that the Sheikh is the one who pays her wages, and when Emre and his boss are on trips (usually to visit the Sheikh’s legal wife, whom we never meet), it is Laura’s job to spy on Syria, make sure she never leaves, and report on everything she does.

However, Surya likes to pretend, if only to herself, that she is in charge, and often says offensive things to Laura, makes fun of her dress sense, awkwardly examines her body, and reminds her in every way that she is a servant. Laura is never supposed to look the Prince in the eye when he is there, and at one point early on is advised to never appear more attractive than Soria, who has an intense jealous streak, mostly directed at the Prince’s lawful wife. A little deluded and perhaps a little crazy due to the constant isolation of living in one harem, Surya is convinced that one day he will leave his wife and marry her and then everything will be fine. In fact, one day he sent a truck full of red roses home after a fight, but all they did was get in the way and slowly wither.

After Laura explodes one day and threatens to resign after Syria goes too far with her insults, the power suddenly changes. Laura decides to stay when she sees Surya’s desperate reaction, literally beating herself up like a crushed child. Likewise, she grows closer to Emery, who has a heart beneath his cold professional veneer and is deeply concerned about his family in Palestine, which the sheikh has promised to help emigrate.

In a way, Laura has the least amount of investment in the situation as she can walk away anytime she wants and pursue her ambition of joining the army, a goal she works toward by doing push-ups and pull-ups every day in her young maid’s bedroom. She’s only there for the money, which she needs to help her sister, who has a young daughter—though the more time Laura spends with these wealthy foreigners in their golden tower, the less connected she is to her sister’s working-class Parisian friends, who have met on a rare night to celebrate a birthday.

Guena and Roselet-Ruiz’s skillful script traces the shifts of power and realignments of empathy in this stifling environment with convincing deftness, though the near-final scene in which Laura, Souria, and Emre finally abandon their strict roles and get drunk together may seem a little abrupt to some. However, the extension of the drama takes the story in a chilling direction, packing a wrenching amount of emotion into one look at the security camera as someone gets into a car and leaves the complex, never to be heard from again. For all the high technology and high fashion on display throughout the exhibition, this feels like a modern fairy tale, warning young women against a search for love and riches that hides costs to the soul, as deadly as a depressed tiger in a cage.