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In his first period biopic with a big star, unflinching French auteur Bruno Dumont ( L’Humanité ) shows no compromise. That’s thanks in large part to Juliette Binoche’s magnetic portrayal of the titular sculptor, who was institutionalised by her brother. “This is female exploitation,” she rages, rightly: Claudel did not belong in an asylum, a fact stressed by Dumont’s controversial but careful use of disabled non-professionals in support roles.

What emerges is a demanding but hypnotic, probing portrait of an artist denied her art, by a director in total command of his.