Een vrouw als Monique

An elderly actress arrives at her holiday home in Bretagne to prepare for a new film. She brings with her numerous scrapbooks and countless film memorabilia. With a personal oeuvre of more than fifty films, the past and present sometimes intertwine. Images of the woman in her beach house mirror images from her films, and images from films intertwine with events from her own life. When a young cyclist breaks down near the house, he challenges the actress to dig deeper into her past. They spend a compact day together. Every question, every image, every article triggers a memory for the woman. Through key scenes from her films, Van de Ven reveals more and more about her personal life: the loves, the adventures, the highs and lows. Who is this young man, and why does she confide in him? The film's ending is both surprising and inescapable. A Woman Like Monique reintroduces us, in an original way, to an undisputed icon of Dutch film. —Moondocs