Couture

When one hears the French word “couture” (or, as it’s often more fully termed, “haute couture”), one generally thinks of the concept of “high fashion,” a symbol of sophistication and elegance expressed through clothing. In turn, the word also often connotes the industry that grew up around this sartorial artform, one that got its start through the craft of sewing and has since spawned the alternative meaning “stitches” or, when applied more metaphorically, “connections,” particularly where the women who have become the representatives of couture are concerned. And, over time, the women of couture have become a diverse sisterhood of sorts, one connected by their commonality as symbols of fashion and as exploited participants in the industry in which they work. It’s a complex set of variables simultaneously at play, one that the latest offering from director Alice Winocour struggles mightily to capture through a drama focusing on the lives of three women during Paris Fashion Week. The result, however, is a largely unfocused production whose story threads only skim the surface of their potential and largely fail to enliven the development of those aforementioned connections. This makes “Couture” a film that’s not nearly as profound as it likes to think it is. The primary story arc follows American filmmaker Maxine Walker (Angelina Jolie), a director of mostly independent horror films who’s hired to make a picture to be shown at PFW’s opening ceremony. In the midst of this frenzy, however, she learns she has developed breast cancer and must choose between her work and her treatment (soul-searching that’s frequently touted but not extensively depicted). The second thread examines the budding career of South Sudanese model Ada (Anyier Anei), who has somehow managed (and quite inexplicably at that) to be selected for Ms. Walker’s movie and to appear at the opening festivities. However, as someone who is new to all this, she’s like a fish out of water, unsure if this is wha...