A Little Chaos

Actor Alan Rickman gives himself a plum role in this historical drama—which he co-wrote and directed—playing Louis XIV, the Sun King, whose reign represented the summit of royal authority in France, even if its extravagance would also prove to be a cause of the coming revolution. The script centers on one of the monarch's most lavish projects, the construction of the palace at Versailles, and the relationship between its chief landscaper (Matthias Schoenaerts) and the country woman (Kate Winslet) he chooses to design an extraordinary outdoor ballroom in the forest (despite the fact that her aesthetic, which favors a touch of disorder, differs from his traditionally symmetrical style). It is, of course, inevitable that the pair will become attracted to one another, although he is trapped in a loveless marriage and she is haunted by the deaths of her husband and daughter. A Little Chaos claims to be based on “certain facts,” but in reality it's a largely fictional proto-feminist fable in period dress. Nonetheless, it's also a fairly engaging divertissement, particularly when Rickman takes center stage as Louis or Stanley Tucci turns up as his foppish brother. And the visuals are lovely, with lavish interiors matched by even more impressive outdoor sequences. Recommended. (F. Swietek)