At age four, Yves Saint Laurent purportedly advised his mother that the dress and shoes she was wearing did not work. The young design genius who left French Algeria as a teenager to work for Christian Dior, took over the House of Dior at age 21 in 1957, following his mentor’s death. He and his life/business partner, Pierre Bergé, famously launched their own fashion label in 1962, and the rest is history. Brilliantly capturing YSL’s shyness, charm, arrogance, and artistic bravado, Pierre Niney morphs into the role without so much as a wrinkle. Drawing upon a vast archive of original material (5,000 dress, 15,000 accessories, and 35,000 sketches), director Jalil Lespert puts the designer’s groundbreaking work on screen (Mondrian dresses, tuxedos for women, the pea coat, the peasant blouse) as he poignantly follows YSL’s downward  spiral -- fueled by drugs, alcohol, and too many late nights out with the boys. Guillaume Gallienne plays the furiously loyal, stalwart Bergé, the man behind the man.

FRANCE •  2014 • 104 MINS. • IN FRENCH WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES • THE WEINSTEIN COMPANY

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Reviews

“In the title role, 25-year-old Pierre Neney of the Comédie-Francaise gives a performance so keenly observed that Bergé himself found it unsettling to watch.”
– Hamish Bowles, Vogue

“25-year-old Pierre Niney so successfully embodies the late designer… that one might think it was custom tailored to his talents. Already a serious actor in his home country, Niney might just find that playing a global legend has a way of making an international career… Maybe a rare role like playing Saint Laurent was just waiting for a rare actor.”
– Stephanie LaCava, Interview

“The intriguing love-and-business tale of Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Bergé … I adored the cinematography… just as beautiful as the clothing the designer created.”
– Rajni Jacques, Glamour

“Bergé granted Lespert entrée to the YSL archives (77 pieces were borrowed for the project) and to the designer’s lush retreat in Marrakech. (Starring) Pierre Niney, in an explosive performance. The film’s re-creations of those legendary runway presentations… are a visual and stylistic triumph.”
– Fan Zhong, W magazine