Mélanie has a delicate and enigmatic image, a kind of presence that is impossible not to notice, as under her reflexive appearance hides a strong voice that intrigues us for what she is about to say. She is one of the most successful actresses in France, where she’s worked in cinema and theatre since her first dramatic role in The Legend of 1900, by Giuseppe Tornatore, which marked the beginning of her career in the film industry. In 2010, she received the César Award for Most Promising Actress thanks to her role as Magali in Le dernier pour la route, by Philippe Godeau. Some fashion insiders and Belle d’Opium lovers might also remember her as the face of the Yves Saint Laurent’s perfume campaign in 2010 or on the cover of several issues of Vogue Italia shot by Lindbergh – although her link to the fashion world is now a thing of the past, as her filmography becomes more and more extensive and award-winning.
Directed by Emmanuel Finkiel, the story begins when the French writer finds two old diaries in a forgotten box, triggering memories that take us back to the Second World War: as part of the French resistance, Duras painfully suffered while waiting for her husband’s return from the Nazis, who captured him as a war prisoner. “This is the story of an agonising wait, long and silent. The search, the absence, the separation”, explains Mélanie.