Nelly

She was born Isabelle Fortier but whatever her beginnings she sought something very different from life and in this remarkable biopic director Anne Émond examines the life and times of prostitute and writer who grew up to become the very real Nelly Arcan. Arcan rocked the French literary world with her 2001 semi-autobiographical novel, Putain (Whore), based on her experiences as a call girl. The book became a huge success and was short-listed for several prizes. She went on to have a weekly column in Ici magazine and completed three more books, which dealt with power, gender, loneliness, the commodification of female beauty, and suicide. Nelly tragically died in 2009.

Trailer and poster courtesy of Les Films Séville.