The Artist and the Model

Fernando Trueba's deeply moving meditation on the artistic process and the nature of humanity, with Jean Rochefort as an ageing artist inspired to paint once more.

In a secluded French border town during the Nazi occupation of WWII, an ageing artist, Marc Cros (Jean Rochefort), is once again inspired to pick up his tools after his wife Lea (Claudia Cardinale) brings home a refugee on the run from Franco’s Spain, the beautiful but naïve Merce (Aida Folch). Amidst his peaceful, hilltop idyll, an unlikely friendship develops between the young girl, just starting out in life, and the old man who senses his end is approaching.

Directed by the Oscar-Winning Fernando Trueba (Belle Epoque, Chico & Rita) and starring Jean Rochefort in a quietly magnetic central performance, The Artist and the Model is a deeply moving meditation on the artistic process and the very nature of humanity. With sumptuous black and white cinematography, a screenplay by Jean-Claude Carrière (Belle de Jour) and a memorable supporting role from 60s screen beauty Claudia Cardinale, Trueba's film is an unforgettable tale of life and love, sacrifice and devotion