Romy Schneider is nowadays a legend. Along with James Dean, Gerard Philipe, Heath Ledger, John Belushi, Philip Seymour Hoffman, she is part of that tragic gallery of actors who lived too short and died before they could perform all the roles for which their great talents were destined. The actress, born in Vienna in 1938, combined beauty and talent in her person, both of which were completely extraordinary. She lived and loved intensely. She worked with some of the most famous directors of the 20th century, she had as partners on screen many of the great actors of her times. Her personal life was sprinkled with romantic episodes and tragedies, the actress being constantly followed by the press in search of sensations. Austria, the country where she was born, Germany where she reached fame at a very young age, and France where she sought freedom and artistic achievement perceived her very differently. German filmmaker Emily Atef has written and directed an interesting and moving film, which focuses on the dramas that followed the actress in the last part of her too short life, capturing a moment of personal crisis. In a way, the fact that ‘3 Days in Quiberon‘ is the first film dedicated to her is surprising, because Romy Schneider is far from forgotten.
This film is not a biopic, although we find out many new things about the actress’ biography. The story focuses on three days in the spring of 1981, when Romy Schneider (Marie Bäumer) was undergoing a detox (alcohol, unhealthy eating, depression) treatment at a hotel-sanatorium in Quiberon, on the Breton shores of the Atlantic. She is visited by Hilde (Birgit Minichmayr), a childhood friend who is worried about her physical and especially her psychological condition. A German journalist, Michael Jürgs (Robert Gwisdek), famous for the way he manages to manipulate celebrities to squeeze from them information worthy of the interest of the sensationalist public, comes to interview her, the first interview for the German press after many years of breakup with the public in this country. He is accompanied by photographer Robert Lebeck (Charly Hübner), an old friend ofRomy and perhaps more than that. The interview and especially the intrusive methods of the reporter bring to surface traumas from the actress’ past (he life as a teen star, relationships with parents, the first husband who committed suicide) and accentuate the current reasons for depression (separation from second husband, inability to be a good mother). The four characters engage in a cruel dance of dialogues that contain truths and appearances. Hilde tries to protect Romy from the manipulation techniques of the journalists, but the actress feels the need to reveal herself and reconnect with a part of her audience. In three days, the four of them get to know each other better, and we, as spectators, get more than a glimpse of the intimacy of the actress’ feelings.
‘3 Days in Quiberon‘ oscillates somewhere between docu-drama and melodrama. It is easy to empathize with the fate of the actress – crushed by her own fame, unlucky in her personal life, eager to control her life but insecure about her ability to do it independently. It would be a good soap opera subject, but screenwriter and director Emily Atef avoided this trap with a rigorous documentary research and a careful analysis of Romy Schneider’s personality and the problems she faced. The 1981 interview was the starting point for describing the three days. I don’t know if the personal relationships described in the film were real, for example the suggested idyll between the actress and the photographer, but they are credible. The added elements are authentic and moving. The scene of the getaway of the four in the small town by the ocean, with the meeting with the locals who adore the actress, with her friendly and open attitude to them, is one of the most beautiful scenes I’ve seen lately in movies. It also benefits from Denis Lavant‘s contribution in an exceptional ‘cameo’ role. The final is a kind of happy ending with sarcastic nuances. It seems like a reconciliation and a possible new beginning, but those who are familiar with the actress’ biography know that her teenage son she was talking to on the phone in the movie was going to die in a few months, and that Romy herself was going to die a year later, in circumstances that have not been fully elucidated.
The reconstruction of the era is extremely precise, both in terms of sets and ambiance. The cinematography signed by Thomas W. Kiennast contributes to the sensation of docu-drama, with the use of the hend-held camera in many scenes and in black and white which is more of a style decision here, because had filming been real in the early ’80s, they would have used color film, even for a documentary. Marie Bäumer is great in the role of Romy Schneider. The physical resemblance is amazing and the actress merges in the role of her predecessor. The rest of the acting team plays in the same natural style and in many moments I lost the feeling that I was watching a fiction film and not a filmed interview or a (good) reality TV show. I recommend the movie. Those who loved and admired Romy Schneider will add information and emotions to those already accumulated, and for the others it is a good opportunity to meet a woman who was a unhappy in her private life, but an admirable actress on screen and especially to search and see her movies.