The Balconettes

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The Balconettes

2025

1h 44m

Comedy

Horror

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Popcornmeter

74%

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43 Reviews

Popcornmeter

Fewer than 50 Ratings

As a heat wave brings a Marseille neighborhood to the boil, three roommates gleefully meddle in the lives of their neighbors from their balcony. Until a late night drink turns into a bloody affair.

Critics Consensus

A Gallic farce that wildly veers between tones with a feminist undercurrent throughout, The Balconettes marks a promising creative progression for director-and-star Noémie Merlant.

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Robbie Collin

Daily Telegraph (UK)

10/21/2024

4/5

Merlant’s film isn’t being unladylike: rather, it’s asserting that ladylike is what all of these things really are, and it’s high time cinema admitted it.

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Hannah Strong

Little White Lies

05/24/2024

But a gimmicky supernatural element somewhat undermines the more serious message, and there’s a sense that the film could have perhaps been kept to a tight 90 minutes, as it runs out of steam in the back half.

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Robert Daniels

RogerEbert.com

05/24/2024

The components are there: a strong ensemble, mostly sturdy camerawork, and an intriguing premise. But the parts rarely add up to a satisfying whole, and so the potential of “The Balconettes” is left annoyingly hanging in the air.

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Keri O'Shea

Warped Perspective

Aug 31

For all of the genre-straddling goings-on, which will almost certainly make it harder for this film to find a large and receptive audience, there’s enough bizarre energy and ambition here to make The Balconettes oddly, dementedly appealing.

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Brian Eggert

Deep Focus Review

Aug 28

3/4

An ambitious project for a freshman effort, The Balconettes finds Merlant experimenting with a variety of tones and stylistic modes without losing focus on her thematic and narrative throughlines.

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Laura Clifford

Reeling Reviews

Aug 23

B-

boasts a colorful cast and sexy summertime vibe, but Merlant's midway shift is bumpy on her way to a feminist call to arms finale.

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Bianxa T

@RT52603675 Jan 7

Disgusting Weird just a soft weird porn. Watched it to practice my french. I was disgusted.

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revolver.0 8

@Revolver08 Sep 7

got some good themes, but overall fem farce

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Robin C

@Robin_Clifford_critic Aug 26

“The Balconettes” It is 115 degrees Fahrenheit in Marseilles. Two roommates and their friend – Ruby (Souheila Yacoub), Nicole (Sanda Codreanu) and Elise (Noemie Merlant) – suffer the heat by looking out over their balcony at the hunky guy across the way. He invites them over to party but things go terribly wrong for “The Balconettes.” We meet the three roommates one by one with Nicole being the first. She is rather shy and reticent and the exact opposite of Ruby, a free spirit who loves to love. Finally, the third in the triumvirate, Elise, is an actress, unhappily married and separated, and screwing up her job. So, they are ready for a diversion from the heat and handsome Magnani (Lucas Bravo) fills the bill as they flirt shamelessly, especially Ruby, and get an invite to pay him a visit. They party hard for a while when Elise gets pass out drunk. Nicole takes her home and they leave their friend for a night of sexual bliss. Later, though, Ruby shows up at home all bloody and beaten and unable to talk. Then, they learn the truth when they go back to the late hunk’s apartment. It ain’t pretty. This is where “The Balconettes” switches gears from a “girls just want to have fun” buddy flick to one of mayhem, cover-up and guilt – and bloody body disposal. This makes for an oddly structured film with three sort of likable roommates who get into a situation way over their heads. It is a combo of dark comedy and off-screen mayhem and bloodshed that had me a little confused. The three best buddies are dramatically different from each other, making me wonder if they would even be friends. Nicole’s reticence, Ruby’s over-the-top free-spirit and Elise’s confusion of life make for strange bedfellows and I am not sure I believe it. Of the three, Ruby is the one most full of life and, when she arrives home all bloodied, you want just desserts received. The way they go about it makes for the second half. B-

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Тарасенко Ф

@RT26512996 03/28/2025

Doesn't work! It was really bad - watching it.

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Noémie Merlant

Director

Souheila Yacoub

Ruby

Noémie Merlant

Élise

Sanda Codreanu

Nicole

Lucas Bravo

The neighbor across the street

Nadège Beausson-Diagne

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Synopsis

As a heat wave brings a Marseille neighborhood to the boil, three roommates gleefully meddle in the lives of their neighbors from their balcony. Until a late night drink turns into a bloody affair.

Director: Noémie Merlant
Producer: Pierre Guyard
Screenwriter: Noémie Merlant, Céline Sciamma
Distributor: The Forge
Production Co: Nord-Ouest Films
Genre: Comedy, Horror
Original Language: French (France)
Release Date (Theaters): Aug 22, 2025, Limited
Runtime: 1h 44m