The Balconettes: Not Your Mother’s Rear Window
The Balconettes (2025)
Directed by Noémie Merlant
Starring Souheila Yacoub, Sanda Codreanu, and Noémie Merlant
As seen at the 51st annual Seattle International Film Festival
The incredible actress who played Marianne in Portrait of a Lady on Fire (2019) is also a director — a fact I didn’t learn until after watching The Balconettes (2024) at this year’s Seattle International Film Festival. Chalk that up to my usual policy of going into movies cold. And honestly, it paid off.
About 10 minutes into the film, a woman in a striking red dress with bold blonde hair strolls into frame. She looked familiar, but I didn’t have time to play the “Where have I seen her before?” game. I was too busy being hypnotized by the sights and sounds on screen. It felt like Rear Window (1954) had been shot with a drone and a bottle of rosé — all swirling movement and voyeuristic angles, gliding in and out of open windows during a Marseille heat wave. We’re not in New York City with L.B. Jefferies and his busted leg — we’re in France, with Nicole, played by Sandra Codreanu, chasing inspiration for her novel.
Where Jefferies was a grounded photojournalist stuck in place, Nicole is untethered — both literally and emotionally. She’s watching the building across the way, where a mysterious and handsome neighbor named Magnani has caught her eye. Rounding out this trio of window-watchers are Ruby, a webcam performer played with effervescent freedom by Souheila Yacoub, and Elise, the red-dressed enigma herself — played by none other than Noémie Merlant, who also co-wrote and directed the film. Let’s get one thing straight: neither actress is trying to be Grace Kelly or Thelma Ritter. Rear Window was all about the question of whether a murder had even happened. In The Balconettes, the murder is not in question. These women know something awful has happened. That certainty shifts the tone and intent entirely.
Where Hitchcock was restrained — maybe thanks to the Hays Code — this film is more Frenzy (1972) than Vertigo (1958). Merlant embraces the macabre with absurdist gore and punchy, often surreal humor. But make no mistake — while laughs exist, this is no comedy. The message is crystal clear: no matter what a woman wears (or doesn’t), how she presents herself, or whether there’s a marriage certificate somewhere in a dusty drawer — no means no.
Merlant seems to be shouting, “Men should not rape. Full stop.” But rather than preaching, she wraps that message in vivid visuals, kinetic camerawork, absurdist flourishes, and dialogue that ricochets from joy to dread. Oh, and yes — there are ghosts. Sad, pathetic ghosts.
Verdict: Recommended. The Balconettes is a stylish, sinister, and deeply satisfying genre blend — equal parts thriller, satire, and spectral fever dream. Merlant’s command of tone is as impressive behind the camera as it is in front. Don’t expect tidy answers. Just ride the wave.
The Balconettes shows again on May 19 at 3:15 p.m. on SIFF’s biggest screen—the former Cinerama, now called SIFF Downtown.