Putting a finger on Sleeping Beauty is difficult. It was first published by Charles Perrault in 1697, from a story by Giambattista Basile. I was re-imagined by Walt Disney in the most popular version. However, the true version is much darker and approaches a horror story. Maybe children of an earlier time were not so protected.
Breillat puts her own stamp on the story, bringing back closer to it's roots. She even mashes it with Hans Christian Andersen's The Snow Queen.
As Sleeping Beauty (Carla Besnaïnou) wanders in a dream state, she is exposed to various traumas regarding love and loss. She develops socially, psychologically, and sexually to take her place in the world when she awakens 100 years later at 16 (Julia Artamonov). It is sometimes difficult for those who grew up on Disney, but the time invested is well worth it.
Breillat has now completed two of her fairy tale trilogy films. Bluebeard was first, and we anxiously await her interpretation of Beauty and the Beast.
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