One of the main roles in the film was also played by Ukrainian model Yulia Ratner. According to the plot, the heroine Jolie comes to Paris for Fashion Week and meets the heroine Ratner there.
She plays herself in the film: a model – a refugee from Ukraine who participates in Paris Fashion Week. There are moments in the film where Ratner speaks Ukrainian.
“Son, I know that you don’t listen to me, but I ask you even more, if only behind two walls, please? Be kind, take care of yourself,” she turns to her boyfriend, who lives in Kyiv.
In another episode, Ratner tells her colleague from South Sudan that she is from Zaporozhye.
In an interview with the Ukrainian edition of Elle, Ratner said that she met Vinokur a year before filming began and became “an insider in the fashion world” for the director.
The publication notes that while working on the film, Ratner suggested that Vinokur add more context to the film to the story of her heroine, a Ukrainian woman who is fleeing the war.
Ratner said that her character in the film is completely based on herself. She admitted that during filming she asked Vinokur to add several scenes about the war in Ukraine. According to Ratner, only one of the two added scenes remained in the final version of the film.
About Jolie
The Ukrainian model admitted that she did not have joint filming days with Jolie, but at the premiere of the film in Paris she was able to communicate with the actress.
During the conversation, Ratner thanked her for her regular visits to Ukraine and talked about memes with Lviv croissants.
According to the model, Jolie “looks very fragile, but has powerful energy.”
In a comment to Deadline, the film's director said that the film is dedicated to the female body.
