The Fashion Movie You Need to See This Weekend

Photo: Thibault Grabherr

Anyone not following Yves Saint Laurent–related film minutiae on a granular level might not be aware that 2014 is playing host to not one but two YSL biopics. Today, the Weinstein Company releases Yves Saint Laurent, directed by Jalil Lespert and starring Comedie Française actor Pierre Niney, in New York and L.A.; the similarly titled Saint Laurent, with Gaspard Ulliel in the lead, will come out in the fall and has already screened at Cannes. (Le Nouvel Observateur was a fan.)

Saint Laurent may feature a fashion-friendly cast (Lea Seydoux as Loulou de la Falaise! Aymeline Valade as Betty Catroux!) but Yves Saint Laurent was made with the house’s blessing, and after attending a recent screening, we can report that it is the 2014 YSL biopic to beat. The film focuses on the relationship between the designer and his longtime partner in both business and life, Pierre Bergé. With the help of a prosthetic nose, Niney delivers an uncanny impersonation of the ultra-sensitive, mercurial YSL, while Guillaume Gallienne is equally excellent as the cooler-headed Bergé. Yves Saint Laurent features some great fashion, including reenactments of YSL’s first Dior show and his Mondrian collection — but the real heart of the story is between the two men, whether they’re falling in love, fighting, or working together to create one of fashion’s legendary houses. (Plus, there are subtitles, so you get to impress fellow moviegoers with your sophistication.)

The Fashion Movie You Need to See This Weekend