Emilie Muller (1994) User Reviews

This is two films in one.

[m.montanari · 10/10 · 3 August 2000]

This is two films in one. At the end you discover something that throws a new light on the whole story. So you can go back to the beginning and look at the film a second time, with different eyes, as if it were another film. Great!

A very crisp and perfect short film

[imdb-1748 · 10/10 · 26 February 2003]

A would-be actress (Emilie Muller) applies for a part in a new movie and is filmed being interviewed by the casting director.

Veronika Varga plays the role of Emilie Muller, while the rest of the 'cast' are purposefully kept off screen for much of the film, this would be quite a feat for just one performer to carry an entire movie even for a short, however Veronika is entirely captivating as the young actress, a real gem to watch.

A film short enough not to be boring, and just long enough to be drawn in. 10/10

One of the best 20 minutes ever

[nowrozefarhan · 10/10 · 30 August 2020]

I will just say that after finishing it, you'll get a feeling of satisfaction and want to watch it from the beginning over again. And you will fall in love with Emilie Muller. :)

A film to fall in love with

[Horst_In_Translation · 10/10 · 13 October 2017]

"Emilie Muller" is a French French-language short film from 1994, so this one is already easily over 20 years old and it is maybe the most known work by late writer and director Yvon Marciano. There is not too much to his direction as it is a static camera for almost the entire film, but it was still a great idea as we don't need wild camera movements to enjoy this one. And the script really is near-perfect. Everything before the plot twist at the very end makes it a very good watch while the last minute turns it into something great and the best short film from 1994, which means quite something as it was a very strong year for short movies according to my documentation. In fact, it is also a contender for best film from 1994, so you can count films over 44 minutes too and if this one here fits so much into 20 minutes which all the others fail to include in 5 times the amount of minutes, then you could hardly make a better compliment to the film.

It makes me a bit sad to see that actress Veronika Varga never really broke through big as she is magnificent in here, the heart and soul of this movie, but hey she is still acting, so it's all good I guess. Her portrayal of an aspiring actress at an audition turns something oh so simple into something oh so raw and rare. She had me glued to the screen really and when it was over it was a bit of a bummer that apparently none of it was true. So the ending had a lot of Usual Suspects to it, while everything before reminded me of Frances Ha, also because of the black-and-white choice, which was another success from a creative perspective as it fits so well with the plot's simplicity. The French filmmaking gods Truffaut and Godard can really be jealous of Marciano here and just like with Varga I am surprised he did not reach great popularity. Even this film is criminally underseen. Of course, it was also the right choice to not make this into a full feature film as its simplicity only lets it function as a short movie. But it could not have turned out better. A magnificent display and great execution turn this into an absolute must-see. The high IMDb rating is not even high enough. Very much recommended.

The magic is in the subtlety of Emilie Muller

[samxxxul · 10/10 · 27 November 2020]

It's 2020, and so here I was revisiting so many titles, and "Emilie Muller" included in the list. This is one of the very few films which you make you feel engrossed and no matter what you will finish it. I've lost count of the number of times I have seen this short especially for it's ending. I used to let it play in the background while I browse and switch back again towards the end for the surprise and it doesn't bore me. At first on the surface, it seems like a casting of an aspiring actress for a film role. But what makes the 20 minutes so interesting: The irony with which the director proceeded here is amazing just like a real audition. The actress is given full freedom to emote and express her thoughts. It might sound boring until first few minutes, this changes when the actress is given a task to speak about the objects in a handbag and it's so interesting how this bag can captivate the story. The complexity of the drama deepens and together with Emilie, the director and us the viewer are engrossed in the story. The acting is at the center of the film and the way in which Veronika Varga chooses to unfold the story is appealing. She oscillates between emotions and it is incredibly naturalistic. The camera framing supported in emphasizing the emotions and sensitivity of Emilie. Special mention should be made of the score by Khalil Chahine, which offers precise (and very soothing) notes of emotion to the story. The rating is a smooth 10 and I'm sure that I will return to this again.