Pariserinnen

Set against the glittering yet treacherous backdrop of 1930s Paris, *Pariserinnen* unfolds as a labyrinthine tapestry of ambition, desire, and betrayal among a constellation of women navigating the shifting tides of social stratification and personal reinvention. At its core, the film orbits Else Berna’s enigmatic Margarete, a former opera singer whose fading star status propels her into a cutthroat world of high-stakes romance and clandestine alliances. Interwoven with her narrative are the stories of Lydia Potechina’s calculating socialite, Xenia Desni’s disillusioned artist, and Lia Eibenschütz’s ambitious stage manager, each woman a pawn—or player—in a game where loyalty is a currency and vulnerability a weapon. Director Leo Heller and co-writer Léo Lasko masterfully deconstruct the myth of Parisian allure, exposing the fissures beneath its polished surface. The film’s true triumph lies in its refusal to romanticize its characters, instead rendering them with a raw, unflinching honesty that echoes the existential uncertainties of the interwar era.