If you saw Clouds of Sils Maria, you’re probably well aware of how wonderfully Kristen Stewart can act (because for some reason people keep needing reminding that yes, she is a very good actor, not to mention one who won the Cesar award for Clouds) beyond Hollywood movie formulas alongside European cinematic greats like Juliette Binoche. You’re also probably aware of how well Kristen Stewart can play an assistant character, as that was her job in that film; and with the first trailer for Personal Shopper, you can see her seemingly rather adeptly playing another effortlessly interesting assistant-ish character in an Olivier Assayas film. (Indiewire describes the character as a “young American woman living in Paris who professionally runs errands for media celebrities”). Except that in this one, she’s an assistant caught up in questions about a metaphysical relationship, rather than a relationship with the person for whom she works. (Though some may have argued that there was a metaphysical element to her existence in Clouds.)
Personal Shopper follows Stewart’s character in the aftermath of her twin brother’s death from a heart condition that she shares; the two of them had anticipated their own deaths, and had told one another that they’d send the other a sign from The Beyond if they died first. This ghost story just screened at Cannes, and was notedly booed by some members of the audience, which led some critics into further support for it on Twitter, with Guardian writer Nigel M. Smith writing:
(And on the Guardian itself, Peter Bradshaw gave it a 5-star review). Meanwhile, critic Jason Solomons wrote:
Stewart herself clarified that “everyone did not boo.” The trailer itself reveals a film that seems intriguing and — if the genre-traversing structure of the trailer is any indication — totally hard to pin down. Watch: