Seams is the latest feature film by Alice Winocour. This French-American drama plunges into the vibrant world of Paris Fashion Week. Led by Angelina Jolie and supported by Louis Garrel, Ella Rumpf, and Anyier Anei, the film will have its world premiere on September 7, 2025, in the Special Presentations section at the Toronto International Film Festival. It is scheduled for a French theatrical release on February 18, 2026.
Amidst Paris's bustling fashion shows and behind-the-scenes chaos, American director Maxine's world is turned upside down by unexpected news. This personal upheaval acts as a turning point in a world where the fast-paced glamour often conceals underlying vulnerabilities.
Throughout her journey, Maxine meets Ada, a young South Sudanese model who has left her homeland, and Angèle, a French makeup artist seeking independence. Among these three women who seem worlds apart, a quiet yet profound bond begins to form. The film delves into their intertwined stories, uncovering a subtle act of defiance beneath the glamorous surface.
Our opinion:
In Couture, Alice Winocour gently lifts the curtain on a dream-like world to reveal its cracks. Gone are the glitzy camera flashes: here, Paris Fashion Week is experienced from the inside of the ateliers, under dull fluorescent lights, amidst last-minute adjustments and palpable tension. From the iconic staircase at Chanel on Rue Cambon, the tone is set: tight framing, shallow breaths, an almost intrusive intimacy. Instead of observing, we share the moment.
Central to the story is Maxine Walker, played by Angelina Jolie, an American director invited to craft the opening show of a runway event. Her view of fashion? “Useless yet necessary.” A seemingly paradoxical definition that encapsulates the film’s ambivalence. While backstage staff hustle and bustle, her world shifts: diagnosed with a devastating breast cancer, her life hangs in the balance. Her more serious journey naturally overshadows the rest, infusing the film with a deep emotional weight that extends far beyond fashion. The medical consultation scene with Vincent Lindon, chillingly realistic, puts the viewer in the patient’s shoes.
Surrounding her are Angèle, a backstage makeup artist and aspiring writer determined to tell the stories of the bodies she beautifies, and Ada, an 18-year-old model from Kenya, glimpsing the fleeting life of international catwalks. Not to mention the seamstress, laser-focused on the opening gown: sewing, unsewing, re-sewing—until perfection and pride in that final stitch.
The grand finale, stunning and almost surreal, plays with melancholic contrasts. Through these intertwined journeys, the film explores doubts, insecurities, and failures, pushing fashion into the background and almost making illness the central theme. While the metaphor of couture—repairing, assembling, healing—is beautiful, the film hesitates between fiction and nearly documentary-style storytelling, leaving a sense of fragility. Moving, ambitious, imperfect: Couture isn’t just a film about fashion. It’s a story about scars—whether visible or hidden—that we learn to carry.
Written and directed by Alice Winocour, Coutures continues her exploration of contemporary female experiences, following her previous film Revoir Paris. Shot in both French and English, the film captures the real settings of Paris Fashion Week, lending the story an intimate yet globally connected feel.
The production team brings together Charles Gillibert (CG Cinema), Xin Zhang, William Horberg, and Angelina Jolie. Co-produced by CG Cinema, Closer Media, and France 3 Cinéma, the film is distributed in France by Pathé, with international sales handled by Hanway Films.
Coutures marks Angelina Jolie’s debut in a French feature film. She shares the screen with Louis Garrel, Ella Rumpf, and Anyier Anei, a model of South Sudanese descent. The cast is rounded out by Garance Marillier, Finnegan Oldfield, as well as special appearances by Aurore Clément and Vincent Lindon.
Straddling the line between intimate drama and ensemble cast storytelling, Coutures explores the clash between social visibility and personal vulnerability. The directing favors a realistic style, paying close attention to gestures and silences, set against a backdrop often linked to spectacle and appearances.
The film targets viewers who are drawn to stories focused on women's journeys, issues of identity, and the contradictions of a globalized world. Without glorifying the fashion industry, it portrays it as the backdrop for human stories where themes of exile, empowerment, and rebuilding are playfully re enacted.
Couture
Film | 2026
Release Date: February 18, 2026
Drama | Duration: 1h47
Directed by Alice Winocour | Starring Angelina Jolie, Louis Garrel, Ella Rumpf, Anyier Anei
Original Title: Couture
Countries: France, United States
Premiered worldwide at the 2025 Toronto Festival, Coutures extends Alice Winocour’s cinematic universe by exploring themes of sisterhood and modern divides, set against a backdrop where personal intimacy clashes with public life. The film is shaping up to be one of France’s most anticipated dramas of 2026.
To keep the movie magic going, check out the new releases for February, discover the must-see films of the moment, and explore our latest selection of gripping dramas.
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