Jean Parédès

For her scandalous directorial debut, Nelly Kaplan waged a battle against the patriarchy—and French censors!—with her anarchic heroine, envisioned as a modern-day witch. Toppling provincial hypocrisies with glee, Bernadette Lafont’s defiant outcast reclaims her autonomy by weaponizing her sexuality.

Making a delightful mockery of male selfishness and paternal control, Nelly Kaplan’s riotous kidnapping comedy revels in the zany pleasure of misbehaving. Ingeniously adept at turning men into obedient lapdogs, Sheila White’s adorably kooky heiress kicks, screams, and seduces her way to freedom.