Farewell, My Queen

Set in July 1789, this French drama follows Sidonie Laborde, a young woman employed at Versailles as a reader to Queen Marie Antoinette. As news of the storming of the Bastille reaches the court, the lives of the palace's inhabitants are thrown into disarray. Nobles and servants begin planning their escapes, but Sidonie, who is devoted to the queen, remains close to her side, clinging to her duties even as the world outside grows increasingly dangerous. The film is based on Chantal Thomas's novel of the same name.

Benoît Jacquot directed and co-wrote the screenplay with Gilles Taurand. Released in 2012, it sits between his earlier features such as Sade and Tosca and his later work like 3 Hearts and Diary of a Chambermaid. Léa Seydoux plays Sidonie opposite Diane Kruger's Marie Antoinette, alongside Virginie Ledoyen, Noémie Lvovsky, and Xavier Beauvois. The production, a Spanish-French co-production, earned roughly 5 million dollars worldwide against its modest scale.

Audience scores stand at 6.2 out of 10 on IMDb and 6 out of 10 on TMDB, suggesting a mixed reaction from general viewers. Film critics were notably more positive, giving it 7.2 out of 10 across 82 reviews. The gap between the two sets of numbers indicates a film appreciated more for its craft and performances than for qualities that resonate widely with general audiences.