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"Surely ranks as one of the most important – if not the most important – projects of [Breillat's] career." – The Playlist
Catherine Breillat (Bluebeard, MIFF 2009) is renowned as one of the world's most uncompromising directors, using cinema to ruthlessly excavate the secrets at the core of her being. In Abuse of Weakness the knife cuts closer to the bone than ever, bringing to life the story of how Breillat herself gave over $1 million to a convicted conman.
In the wake of a devastating stroke, French film director Maud (Isabelle Huppert) finds herself physically dependent and socially isolated. After seeing swaggering conman Vilko on the news, she decides he must be in her next film. Although their resulting relationship is platonic, Vilko offers Maud an intimacy her family cannot, and as he begins extracting money from her, her own complicity in the onrushing disaster becomes increasingly unclear.
"More quietly terrifying than anything she's ever done … the filmmaking is crisp and sparkling" – Village Voice
Catherine Breillat is a festival guest.