Madame Claude

Set in Paris in the late 1960s, Madame Claude centres on a woman who has built a successful business around prostitution and used it to gain influence in both political and criminal circles. Her reach extends well beyond that world, and she has remade herself as a respected businesswoman with a carefully constructed past. The arrival of Sidonie, a young woman from a wealthy background, unsettles that arrangement. Sidonie becomes close to Madame Claude, and the relationship gradually threatens the position her protector has built.

The film is directed and written by Sylvie Verheyde, whose earlier features include A Brother... (1997) and Sex Doll (2016). Karole Rocher plays Madame Claude, with Garance Marillier as Sidonie, Roschdy Zem as Jo Attia, Pierre Deladonchamps as Serge, Liah O'Prey as Virginie and Paul Hamy as André. Florence Gastaud produced the French production, which runs 112 minutes.

Madame Claude was released in April 2021 and is a crime drama with a romantic thread. Its ratings are modest on both platforms: 5.5 out of 10 on IMDb from roughly 4,400 votes, and 5.7 out of 10 on TMDB from around 236 votes. The larger IMDb sample shows a divided response, while the smaller TMDB figure points to a similar, slightly warmer reception.