Captives on France 4: Mélanie Thierry at the heart of the Salpêtrière in 1894

Voluntarily admitting herself to an asylum to find a missing woman: Captives, airing on France 4, opens its story with this decision. Mélanie Thierry plays Fanni, a woman searching for her mother among the patients at the Salpêtrière hospital in Paris in 1894.

Her arrival introduces her to an institution whose rules she does not understand. Preparations for a grand ball, which artists and members of high society are due to attend, offer a possible way out. The film initially follows her search and the bonds she forms with the other women held there.

Arnaud des Pallières directs this historical drama, co-written with Christelle Berthevas. Josiane Balasko, Marina Foïs, Yolande Moreau and Carole Bouquet join Thierry in this ensemble story. Produced by Prélude, the feature is set at the Salpêtrière balls, which brought the outside world into the asylum.

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