Bearded lady saves business

A FRENCH film about a bearded lady and a deconstructed Western, both of them set in the late 19th century, are the new releases on offer at Henley Regal Picturehouse this week.

The gentle drama Rosalie (15) follows the title character as she meets and marries her café-owner husband who is motivated by the dowry he will receive to pay off his debts.

But Rosalie, played by Nadia Tereszkiewicz, has a secret — an unusual amount of body hair which requires her to shave daily.

Initially repelled by his new bride, husband Abel (Benoit Magimel) gradually warms to his wife as she dares to rebel against the social norms of the time and whose unusual appearance attracts new customers to his struggling café.

Filmed in rural Brittany and inspired by a true story, it has a running time of 1 hour, 55 minutes.

Director Viggo Mortensen wrote, scored, produced and stars in The Dead Don’t Hurt (15), the story of how Danish immigrant Holger (Mortensen) and his wife Vivienne (Vicky Krieps) raise their son in a cabin in the American West.

When Holger volunteers to fight in the American civil war, Vivienne has a war of her own on her hands as she fends for herself in a community controlled by a corrupt mayor and his unscrupulous business partner.

The film’s running time is 2 hours, 9 minutes.

Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, Back to Black, The Fall Guy and IF all continue.