Keira Knightley kicks off a literary & sexual revolution in Colette trailer

Last Updated on August 5, 2021

I know, another Keira Knightley period piece. We certainly haven't seen that before, but to be fair, Knightley is particularly good in these types of movies. COLETTE finds the actress starring as the real-life Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette, a country girl who marries well-known author Henry Gauthier-Villars (Dominic West). Struggling to make ends meet, Henry convinces his wife to ghostwrite for him, and the resulting novels Colette pens under his name prove to be smash hits, prompting a battle of wills as Colette fights for creative ownership all while societal constraints, gender roles, and sexuality are questioned. Be warned, the trailer for COLETTE appears to offer up almost the entire plot of the film, so if you're looking to stay fresh, best to avoid it.

While speaking with Variety earlier this year, Keira Knightley touched upon why she wanted to play Colette. "It’s wonderful to play inspiring women and to get their stories and their voices out there. Within her writing, Colette was questioning the idea of gender and the idea of what was naturally feminine as opposed to society’s take on being feminine," Knightley said. "The 1890s in France, the belle époque, is interesting to look back on because there was a lot of sexual freedom. Colette had female lovers and had what I suppose we would call a transgender lover. She felt that it was her right to experience pleasure and to give pleasure. That’s still a revolutionary idea for women." The actress also commented on why she takes on so many historical roles, simply put, those are just the types of films she enjoys. "For years I felt quite guilty about it, like it was something that I should try to shake off. Then I realized that these were the films I’ve always loved watching," Knightley explained. "I think some people find escapism through science fiction or fantasy, and I suppose my escapism into another world has always been through period drama. It’s nice that in my 30s I can finally admit that."

The official synopsis for COLETTE:

After marrying a successful Parisian writer known commonly as ‘Willy’ (Dominic West), Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette (Keira Knightley) is transplanted from her childhood home in rural France to the intellectual and artistic splendor of Paris. Soon after, Willy convinces Colette to ghostwrite for him. She pens a semi-autobiographical novel about a witty and brazen country girl named Claudine, sparking a bestseller and a cultural sensation. After its success, Colette and Willy become the talk of Paris and their sexual adventures with other women inspire additional Claudine novels. Colette’s fight over creative ownership and gender roles drives her to overcome societal constraints, revolutionizing literature, fashion and sexual expression.

COLETTE will hit theaters on September 21, 2018.