True drama: In “Rosalie” a woman with a beard fights against prejudice

Rosalie is a young woman in France in 1870. But she is different from the others. Since birth, her face and body have been covered with hair. For fear of rejection, she was always forced to shave to hide her illness. Until the day Abel, an indebted innkeeper, marries her for her dowry.

“Rosalie” is the second feature film by French director and photographer Stéphanie Di Giusto (“The Dancer”). The very first scene symbolically announces her impending humiliation. It shows her walking through the mud in her snow-white wedding dress.

On their wedding night, Abel (Benoît Magimel) discovers her secret and turns away from her in disgust. Rejected by him, Rosalie (Nadia Tereszkiewicz) decides to use her looks to save her house financially. She lets her beard grow and hopes that this will arouse people's curiosity – potential customers. Her plan works – the business flourishes.

Rosalie gains self-confidence and finally feels liberated and free. She is sexy in photos in which she reveals her lush facial and body hair. And Abel begins to respect – and love – his wife. But the tables soon turn, because she is degraded to a monster by the public.

The drama is loosely inspired by the true story of the famous bearded woman named Clémentine Delait. She was born in 1865, grew up in the Vosges and posted numerous postcards. She even obtained the right to wear men's clothing, which was strictly forbidden at the time.

But while Delait managed to turn her difference into a real business, becoming the darling of the soldiers in the trenches and traveling through Europe, Di Giusto makes her film character a victim of intolerance and hatred. She is dragged through the mud by the locals and experiences the cruelty of greedy upper classes.