Curiosa

'Curiosa' opens in Paris, in 1895. Pierre Louÿs is Parisian dandy and poet on the verge of fame. He and his friend, Henri de Régnier, are in love with the same woman, Marie de Heredia. Marie is a daring woman and daughter of the mentor of the two men, the Franco-Cuban poet José María de Heredia. José María is struggling to pay off his considerable debts, so he orders his daughter to marry Henri, despite her lingering feelings for Pierre.

Pierre travels to Algeria and comes back two years later, at which time he reunites with Marie and confesses that he is still in love with her. Still enraptured by Pierre, Marie makes him an unusual proposition: that he takes photographs of her in erotic poses. This leads Henri to suspect that his wife wants to ask for a divorce and Marie's friends warn her to stay with her husband. Marie, however, feels far happier alongside Pierre, with her new experiences inspiring her to begin a career as a writer. This relationship between Marie and Pierre leads them to break the established social codes in the 19th century in their journey to becoming successful writers and poets.

'Curiosa' is a French-language film directed by Lou Jeunet and starring Némie Merlant, Niels Shneider, Benjamin Lavernhe and Camélia Jordana, amongst others.

• Drama
• History