Award-winning French actress Noémie Merlant (Baby Ruby, Portrait of a Lady on Fire) is unleashing raucous revenge in horror-comedy The Balconettes, and the energetic trailer has arrived ahead of the film’s release from The Forge.
The limited theatrical run for The Balconettes kicks off with a week of screenings at the IFC Center in New York City and the Landmark’s Nuart Theatre in Los Angeles from August 22 through August 28, followed by a sustained release in additional markets.
Merlant doesn’t just topline the film; The Balconettes marks her sophomore directorial effort. Merland also co-wrote the horror-comedy with Pauline Munier and Portrait of a Lady on Fire filmmaker Céline Sciamma.
The film follows three roommates gleefully meddling in the lives of their neighbors from their Marseilles balcony during a sweltering heat wave, until a late-night drink spirals into a bloody confrontation.
Souheila Yacoub (Dune: Part Two, Climax), Sanda Codreanu (Call My Agent), and Lucas Bravo (Emily in Paris) also star.
“It’s such a joy to know that The Balconettes is being released in the United States, the country of cinema,” Merlant says. “Sharing the film there feels deeply meaningful to me, because so much of my love for storytelling was shaped by American film culture. To see this strange, fearless little movie find its audience in such a historic space for cinema is an emotional milestone. This is a film we made with our hearts and our guts: together, as a team, and in close collaboration with Céline Sciamma. It’s a love cry for creative freedom, for genre-mixing, for bold ideas and joyful chaos.
“But at its core, it’s a film about sisterhood, and a scream against the patriarchy: against all the forces that try to shame, silence, and control us. It’s a wild ride: violent, funny, tender, and unruly. My hope is that it makes people feel a little more free, and a little less alone.”
“The Balconettes doesn’t just play with genre, it detonates it,“ says Mark Sayre, CEO of The Forge. “Noémie [Merlant] has made a film that’s as uncontainable as the women at its center: wild, funny, furious, and alive with risk. We couldn’t look away, and we didn’t want to. Releasing this movie feels less like a business decision and more like a dare. One we’re proud to take.”
Watch the infectious trailer for the upcoming summer horror-comedy now.