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Keira Knightley is downright radiant in Colette. She leads the drama based on the true story of Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette, a young woman living in the country who marries a successful writer, Willy (Dominic West), and is whisked off to Paris to indulge in the parties and luxuries of aristocratic living. Eventually, Willy convinces Colette to start ghostwriting for him and she writes a semi-autobiographical novel that becomes a major sensation. The pressure to produce more novels in this series eventually becomes too much, driving Colette to fight for recognition for her work and also to find her own voice.

I adored Colette - you can read my review from TIFF right here - so I was beyond excited to have the opportunity to sit down with Knightley and West at the festival to talk about the film. We got to chat about some material that didn't make the final cut, why you should see Colette even if you're not drawn to period dramas, and also about the importance of the movie hitting theaters with the #MeToo movement in full swing.

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Image via TIFF

You can catch the full chat in the video at the top of this article. Colette hits theaters on September 21st. The movie is directed by Wash Westmoreland and also stars Denise GoughFiona ShawRobert Pugh, and Eleanor Tomlinson.

Here’s the official synopsis for Colette:

After marrying a successful Parisian writer known commonly as “Willy” (Dominic West), Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette (Keira Knightley) is transplanted from her childhood home in rural France to the intellectual and artistic splendor of Paris. Soon after, Willy convinces Colette to ghostwrite for him. She pens a semi-autobiographical novel about a witty and brazen country girl named Claudine, sparking a bestseller and a cultural sensation. After its success, Colette and Willy become the talk of Paris and their adventures inspire additional Claudine novels. Colette’s fight over creative ownership and gender roles drives her to overcome societal constraints, revolutionizing literature, fashion and sexual expression. Directed by Wash Westmoreland and written by Wash Westmoreland, Richard Glatzer, Rebecca Lenkiewicz.

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Image via TIFF
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Image via Bleecker Street

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