Cécile de France makes frankness and kindness convincing with little visible effort. We value her directness most when a film gives it room, as the Dardenne brothers do in The Kid with a Bike.
Fi1m perspective
Cécile de France makes Samantha's kindness in The Kid with a Bike (2011) look ordinary, which is harder than it sounds. She gives the character resolve without spelling out every feeling. We were moved by how little fuss she makes of that kindness. Directors Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne give her a central role, and her unforced playing is a good reason to seek out their film.
Her breakthrough in Cédric Klapisch's L'Auberge espagnole (2002), playing Isabelle, established how comfortably she could work within an ensemble. She returned as Isabelle in Russian Dolls (2005), while her physically demanding lead in High Tension (2003) had already taken her into horror. Klapisch's recurring use of her makes sense: her naturalism suits stories in which several people need our attention.
Around the World in 80 Days (2004) is a less rewarding encounter, with de France playing Monique La Roche alongside Jackie Chan and Steve Coogan. Chan and Coogan are agreeable travelling companions, and there is enough comic skill to make stretches of it enjoyable. The extra plot repeatedly holds up the adventure, however, and two hours is more than its momentum can support. We would not recommend it as an introduction to de France. For all the people on hand to entertain us, the evening still drags.
The Young Pope (2016), with de France as Sofia Dubois for Paolo Sorrentino, is the stronger recommendation. Jude Law's alarming pope is at the centre of a funny, disconcerting drama about authority and faith. The performances and unsettling humour earn our patience, though some familiar political manoeuvring slows it down. Her ease within an ensemble makes her worth following into such productions, even when another actor has the central role. Start with The Kid with a Bike, though, for a part that gives her kindness and resolve proper attention.
Biography
Cécile de France is a Belgian actress. She was born on 17 July 1975 in Namur, Belgium. At the age of seventeen she moved to Paris, where she studied theatre with Jean-Paul Denizon before completing a three-year course at the École Nationale Supérieure des Arts et Techniques du Théâtre (ENSATT).
She appeared in early French films including L'Art (délicat) de la séduction (2001) and Irène (2002). Her performance as Isabelle in The Spanish Apartment (2002) brought wider attention, and she later played lead roles in High Tension (2003), Around the World in 80 Days (2004) and Hereafter (2010). She has also featured in the Russian Dolls (2005) and Chinese Puzzle (2013) films, and in Mesrine: Killer Instinct (2008).
On television she played Sofia Dubois in the series The Young Pope (2016) and reprised the role in The New Pope (2020).
