Number One (French: Numéro une), also released as Woman Up! in the United Kingdom and the United States, is a 2017 French drama film directed by Tonie Marshall, her last film before her 2020 death. It was screened in the Special Presentations section at the 2017 Toronto International Film Festival.
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Background
According to Marshall, the original idea of Number One was back in 2009 for a series that follows eight women leaders working in industry, politics, media, and sports. However, no TV Channel was interested. In 2017, she recovered the idea for a feature film. She reduced the number of characters and focused on just one woman, Emmanuelle Blachey.
For the film, Marshall researched the female corporative world through in-depth discussions.
Synopsis
Emmanuelle Blachey (Emmanuelle Devos) is an ambitious corporate manager that aspires to become the first managing director of a major French company. However, she faces vicious sexism.
Cast
Emmanuelle Devos as Emmanuelle Blachey
Suzanne Clément as Véra Jacob
Richard Berry as Jean Beaumel
Sami Frey as Henri Blachey
Benjamin Biolay as Marc Ronsin
Francine Bergé as Adrienne Postel-Devaux
Bernard Verley as Jean Archambault
John Lynch as Gary Adams
Reception
On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 100%, based on 11 reviews, and an average rating of 7.5/10.