Colette (2018)

This is film is merely another chance to highlight Keira Knightley's talent in a period costume.
She shines as the title character, Colette (originally Gabrielle) a poor peasant girl from the countryside in Paris who marries Willy (Dominic West), a man whom she believes to be the love of her life. Willy marries her despite the lack of dowry but he is having financial struggles himself. Sort of the James Patterson of 1890s Paris, Willy is the idea man with his name on the books but he has minions to do all of the dirty work for him and soon, Colette joins the ranks. She writes about her childhood, more or less and these books make Willy famous and a very wealthy man, which in turn, makes Colette wealthy also. But she is the true writer but very few actually know that, as he is the famous one and is the one who enjoys taking credit for the work of others.
In addition to this being a cause of contention in their marriage, Willy is also not faithful to Colette. Then again, she cheats on him also, but only with women, including the lovely Louisiana heiress, Georgie (Eleanor Tomlinson) who also sleeps with Willy and Missy (Denise Gough), who is struggling with her sexuality.
The film covers a lot of ground, including Colette's time performing on the stage though her true talent rests with her ability to write. It isn't until Willy foolishly sells the rights to Colette's creation, Claudine, that she finally throws him under the bus and files for a divorce. She also decides to write about her experience being a showgirl and publishes under her real name and becomes famous in her own right. The truth does come out in the end. Justice is finally served.
While the ending is a bit squishy, the film nevertheless covers over a decade and details both Colette's professional and personal life. Knightley is excellent and West is also very good and the supporting cast is top-notch. And I do love a period piece. This film would make a great companion piece to this year's other very good film, The Wife, as they both detail how much power husbands can have over their wives. The answer is, they can have as much power as they are given. Grade: B+