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Isabelle Huppert Leads Stylized Bettencourt Drama as Film Reaches Spanish Cinemas

Huppert frames the tale as a theatrical study of power rather than a faithful biopic.

Overview

  • The French film La mujer más rica del mundo, directed by Thierry Klifa, reaches Spain after a Cannes 2025 premiere out of competition.
  • The story draws on the scandal around L'Oréal heiress Liliane Bettencourt and her bond with photographer François‑Marie Banier, with Marina Foïs as the daughter and Laurent Lafitte as the photographer.
  • Huppert says she did not mimic Bettencourt and instead shaped the character through class signals such as stance, dress, and hairstyle.
  • A new review highlights themes of money’s pull and how it breeds distrust, ambition, manipulation, and power games.
  • Bettencourt’s fortune was estimated near $36 billion before her 2017 death, setting the stakes for the legal battles that made the case a national headline in France.