From the limelight to the darkness, the life of YSL

In Jalil Lespert’s biopic ‘Yves Saint Laurent,’ the first to emerge since the designer’s death in 2008, Pierre Niney takes on the challenging principal role, while Charlotte Le Bon plays model Victoire Doutreleau.

You don’t need to be a style connoisseur to know that Yves Saint Laurent was one of the most influential fashion designers of all time. Empowering women through his androgynous looks – with signature pieces such as the tuxedo and the pantsuit – the designer took fashion to the street through his forward-looking ready-to-wear, while keeping haute couture as the jewel of his creative crown.

“Fashions come and go, but style is forever,” was one YSL motto.

What is perhaps lesser known is that the designer suffered his first nervous breakdown at the tender age of 25 and was subsequently diagnosed with manic depression.

Pivoting between private and public life, the limelight and the darkness, “Yves Saint Laurent” is the first biopic to emerge on the French designer following his death in 2008. Based on a biography penned by French journalist Laurence Benaim, the movie is directed by actor-filmmaker Jalil Lespert and stars Pierre Niney in the leading role.   

A multiple love story – between a man and his trade and between two men whose interaction revolutionized an industry – “Yves Saint Laurent” opened the 15th edition of the Francophone Film Festival in Greece in March. Distributed by Feelgood, the movie opened at local cinemas on Thursday.

Is the life of a legend any different from that of regular folk when captured on film?

“It’s about how the small, intimate story meets the big story. It’s an amazing chance for a director to work on a story with plenty of layers,” Lespert told Kathimerini English Edition. “It is about people who fight for their dreams – that’s a core subject here, and to do so you need a historical framework.”

The film provides the right context for this kind of...

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