Personal Shopper

Personal Shopper is a 2016 supernatural psychological thriller film written and directed by Olivier Assayas.[2] The film stars Kristen Stewart as a young American woman in Paris who works as a personal shopper for a celebrity and tries to communicate with her deceased twin brother.

For the occupation, see Personal shopper.

Personal Shopper
Theatrical release poster
Directed byOlivier Assayas
Produced byCharles Gillibert
Written byOlivier Assayas
Starring
CinematographyYorick Le Saux
Edited byMarion Monnier
Production
company
  • CG Cinéma
  • Vortex Sutra
  • Detailfilm
  • Sirena Film
  • Arte France Cinéma
  • Arte Deutschland/WDR
  • Canal+
  • Ciné+
Distributed by
  • The Searchers (Belgium)
  • Artcam Films (Czech Republic)
  • Les Films du Losange (France)
  • Weltkino Filmverleih (Germany)
Release date
  • 17 May 2016 (2016-05-17) (Cannes)
  • 14 December 2016 (2016-12-14) (Belgium and France)
  • 19 January 2017 (2017-01-19) (Germany)
  • 27 April 2017 (2017-04-27) (Czech Republic)
Running time
106 minutes
Country
  • France
  • Germany
  • Czech Republic
  • Belgium
Language
  • English
  • French
  • Swedish
Box office$2.7 million[1]

An international co-production between Belgium, Czech Republic, France and Germany,[3] the film was selected to compete for the Palme d'Or at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival.[4][5] At Cannes, Assayas shared the Best Director Award with Cristian Mungiu, who directed Graduation.[6] The film was released on 14 December 2016 in France and 10 March 2017 in the United States. The film received positive reviews from critics, with particular praise for Stewart's performance.

Plot

Maureen is a personal shopper in Paris for Kyra, a demanding supermodel. Her twin brother Lewis recently died from a heart condition, a condition shared by Maureen. They were both interested in spiritualism and felt they were mediums.

Maureen stays overnight at her late brother's home, hoping for a sign from him, and has a brief encounter with a spiritual presence. His girlfriend Lara wants to sell the mansion to a couple who knew and loved her brother, but they want Maureen to find out if the mansion has spirits, benevolent or malevolent. Maureen and her brother had promised each other that who ever died first would give the other a sign after death. During her discussion with the potential buyers, Maureen discovers the artist Hilma af Klint, whose paintings were inspired by messages from the spirit world. Maureen video chats with her boyfriend Gary, who is on a contract job in Oman and encourages her to get away from Paris and Kyra and to come visit. He tells her there is nothing after death.

At Kyra's apartment, Maureen meets and talks with Kyra's lover Ingo, who tells her Kyra is planning to break up with him because she is afraid her husband will discover their relationship. Maureen spends another night at Lewis' home and the faucets turn on. She asks Lewis to talk with her, and discovers that her artwork has been scratched out. She is terrified by an aggressive, angry specter of a woman. Maureen flees the house.

On her way to London to pick up clothing for Kyra, Maureen receives a series of text messages from an unknown number, which she suspects is her late brother Lewis. The sender toys with Maureen, and encourages her to try on Kyra's clothes, which she has been forbidden to do. She spends the night in Kyra's bed, in a dress collected from London. The female spectre appears in the bedroom whilst Maureen sleeps for a few seconds, causing Maureen to wake up suddenly. The next morning, Maureen visits Lara to tell her that there is no longer a supernatural presence in the mansion. The sender also leaves her a room key for a hotel. When she visits the room in one of Kyra's dresses, no one is there, but when she checks at the front desk, she discovers the room is booked in her name and has been pre-paid in cash.

After picking up expensive jewelry for Kyra, Maureen returns to Kyra's apartment, where she discovers Kyra's bloody corpse, and sees fleeting images. She is questioned by the police, who ask about the location of the jewelry. Later, Maureen discovers the jewelry is in her apartment. The unknown texter demands she return to the hotel room, which she does, with the jewelry.

Doors in the hotel open and close, although no one is seen going through them. Ingo leaves the hotel, and is apprehended by two men. He shoots one and attempts to escape. However, he is arrested and confesses to murdering Kyra.

Maureen meets Lara's new boyfriend Erwin, who was friends with Lewis before his death. They speak about the possibility that Lewis's soul is still present. As Maureen sits in the garden, a wind stirs, and a glass behind her levitates and falls to the floor.

Maureen flies to Oman to visit Gary in the mountains. Arriving at his room, she hears a noise and finds a glass floating in the air; it falls and shatters. She asks questions, accepting single thumps as yes, two for no. When she eventually asks her twice-repeated question, "Lewis, is it you," there is silence. She then asks, "Or is it just me?" A single thump for yes.

Cast

Production

In May 2015, it was announced that Olivier Assayas would be directing the film, from a screenplay he wrote, with Kristen Stewart starring. He wrote it for Stewart as the star, as he had worked with her in Clouds of Sils Maria. Charles Gillibert produced the film under his CG Cinema banner.[7] In October 2015, Sigrid Bouaziz, Lars Eidinger, Anders Danielsen Lie, and Nora von Waldstätten also had been cast in the film.[8] In November 2015, Ty Olwin joined the cast, taking the role of Gary, Maureen's boyfriend.[9]

Principal photography began on 27 October 2015 in Paris, France for two weeks and then moved to Prague, London, and Oman.[8]

Release

The film had its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival on 17 May 2016, where it competed for the Palme d'Or.[4][5] The film was distributed by Les Films du Losange in France, and IFC Films in North America.[10] Universal Pictures distributed the film internationally.[11] The film was screened at the 2016 Toronto International Film Festival[12] and the New York Film Festival.[13]

It was released in France on 14 December 2016.[14] The film was released in the United States on 10 March 2017.[15]

In the United States, the movie grossed $79,175 on 4 theaters for an average of $19,794, the highest of the weekend, after adding 31 theaters the next weekend it saw a 92.6% increase to gross $152,478. The movies final US domestic total was $1,305,195 and a worldwide gross of $2.2 million against a $1 million budget, it was a box office success.

Critical reception

Personal Shopper received generally positive reviews from film critics. The Guardian awarded the film five stars, calling it "uncategorisable yet undeniably terrifying".[16] Stephanie Zacharek of Time gave a positive review, writing that "Personal Shopper is a strange and beautifully made film, and both star and director are clearly energized by their dual mission." She also listed it as one of Time's top ten films of 2017.[17] A. O. Scott of The New York Times wrote the film is "sleek and spooky, seductive and suspenseful. It flirts with silliness, as ghost stories do. And also with heartbreak."[2]

Rotten Tomatoes reports a "Certified Fresh" score of 81% based on 262 reviews with an average rating of 7.13/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Personal Shopper attempts a tricky series of potentially jarring tonal shifts with varying results, bolstered by a performance from Kristen Stewart that's impossible to ignore."[18] On Metacritic, the film holds a rating of 77 out of 100, based on 38 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[19] The film was booed at its initial screening at the Cannes Film Festival, about which director Assayas said, "It happens every once and a while [sic] where people just don't get the ending."[20][21] At its official premiere at Cannes, the film received a 4 1/2-minute standing ovation.[22][23]

Accolades
YearOrganizationCategoryRecipient(s) and Nominee(s)Outcome
2016Cannes Film FestivalBest DirectorOlivier AssayasWon
Oaxaca FilmFest[24]Best ActressKristen StewartWon
Online Film Critics Society Best Non-U.S. Release Personal Shopper Won
2017 Austin Film Critics Association[25]Best ActressKristen StewartNominated
Dublin Film Critics' Circle[26]Best ActressKristen StewartNominated
Florida Film Critics Circle Best Cinematography Yorick Le SauxNominated
Indiana Film Journalists Association [27]Best ActressKristen StewartNominated
Indiewire Annual Critics Poll [28] Best Film Personal Shopper Nominated
Best ActressKristen Stewart5th place
International Cinephile Society Best Picture Not Released in 2016 Personal ShopperNominated
International Film Festival Rotterdam Best Director Olivier Assayas Nominated
Las Vegas Film Critics Society [29]Best ActressKristen StewartNominated
St. Louis Film Critics AssociationBest ActressKristen StewartNominated
2018 International Cinephile Society Best Picture Personal Shopper3rd place
Best Actress Kristen StewartNominated
Best Original Screenplay Olivier AssayasNominated
Best Film Editing Marion MonnierNominated
Talk Film Society Best Actress Kristen StewartNominated
Village Voice Annual Film Poll Best Film Personal Shopper7th place
Best Actress Kristen Stewart5th place
Fright Meter Awards Best Actress Kristen StewartNominated
Best Costume Design Jürgen DoeringNominated
Best Screenplay Olivier AssayasNominated
Sant Jordi Awards Best Foreign Film Personal ShopperNominated
Best Actress in a Foreign Film Kristen StewartNominated
gollark: I generally *dis*like the UI, even.
gollark: I'm mostly on here because the people I want to talk to are, not because of any particular UI thing.
gollark: Discord was *meant* for gamers originally.
gollark: Hmm, so apparently in May 2019 Discord had >=250 million users.
gollark: Valve might make sense, actually. They have a successful gamery product with a kind of terrible chat thing.

References
  1. "Personal Shopper". The Numbers. Retrieved 15 January 2019.
  2. Scott, A. O. (9 March 2017). "Review: Kristen Stewart Is Entrancing as a Haunted 'Personal Shopper'". The New York Times. Retrieved 10 November 2017.
  3. "Personal Shopper. 2016. Directed by Olivier Assayas". Museum of Modern Art. Retrieved 29 December 2017.
  4. "2016 Cannes Film Festival Announces Lineup". IndieWire. Retrieved 14 April 2016.
  5. "Cannes 2016: Film Festival Unveils Official Selection Lineup". Variety. Retrieved 14 April 2016.
  6. "Cannes Film Festival Winners: Palme d'Or to Ken Loach's 'I, Daniel Blake'". Deadline. Retrieved 22 May 2016.
  7. Keslassy, Elsa (15 May 2015). "Cannes: Kristen Stewart to Star in Ghost Story 'Personal Shopper' for Olivier Assayas (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 21 April 2016.
  8. Goodfellow, Melanie (14 October 2015). "Olivier Assayas, Kristen Stewart reunite on set of 'Personal Shopper'". Screen Daily. Retrieved 21 April 2016.
  9. Ratney, Ruth L (23 November 2015). "Olwin lands first film role in an international feature". ReelChicago.com. Retrieved 21 April 2016.
  10. Keslassy, Elsa (13 February 2016). "Berlin: Kristen Stewart's 'Shopper' Tops MK2 Sales Deals". Variety. Retrieved 21 April 2016.
  11. Barraclough, Leo (6 June 2016). "Universal Picks Up Kristen Stewart's 'Personal Shopper' in Multiple Territories". Variety. Retrieved 5 August 2016.
  12. "Personal Shopper". Archived from the original on 17 September 2016. Retrieved 6 October 2016.
  13. "Personal Shopper - NYFF54". Retrieved 6 October 2016.
  14. "Personal Shopper". Les Films du Losange. Retrieved 2 April 2017.
  15. Busis, Hillary (29 September 2016). "Kristen Stewart Just Can't Give Up the Ghost in Personal Shopper". Vanity Fair. Retrieved 29 September 2016.
  16. "Personal Shopper review: Kristen Stewart's psychic spooker is a must-have". The Guardian. Retrieved 17 May 2016.
  17. Zacharek, Stephanie (7 December 2017). "The Top 10 Movies of 2017". Time. Retrieved 13 December 2017.
  18. "Personal Shopper (2016)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 15 January 2019.
  19. "Personal Shopper". Metacritic. Retrieved 15 January 2019.
  20. Staff, Variety (16 May 2016). "Kristen Stewart's 'Personal Shopper' Booed at Cannes Premiere". Variety. Retrieved 21 May 2016.
  21. Alexander, Bryan (17 May 2016). "Why was Kristen Stewart's 'Personal Shopper' booed at Cannes?". USA Today. Retrieved 21 May 2016.
  22. Calvario, Liz (18 May 2016). "Kristen Stewart's 'Personal Shopper' Receives Standing Ovation At Cannes Premiere After Getting Booed". Retrieved 21 May 2016.
  23. Gardner, Chris (17 May 2016). "Cannes: Kristen Stewart's 'Personal Shopper' Receives 4-Minute-Plus Standing Ovation". Retrieved 21 May 2016.
  24. "Personal Shopper: Prix de la meilleure actrice à l'Oaxaca Film Festival". 16 October 2016. Retrieved 14 November 2016.
  25. "Austin Film Critics on Twitter".
  26. Entertainment.ie. "Dublin Film Critics Circle Awards for 2017 announced". Retrieved 21 December 2017.
  27. "Indiana Film Journalists Association". indianafilmjournalists.com. Retrieved 21 December 2017.
  28. Kohn, Eric (19 December 2017). "2017 Critics Poll: The Best Films and Performances According to Over 200 Critics". Retrieved 21 December 2017.
  29. Biggs, Colin. "Alright, ballot is due for the .@LVFilmCritics. Find out what wins at the #LVFCSAwards on Dec. 18th!pic.twitter.com/SzgEo7N5yf". Retrieved 21 December 2017.
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