Colette (Keira Knightley) explores how this gifted but extremely naive country French teenager succumbs in 1893 to marriage and exploitation by an older man, the successful Parisian critic/writer, womaniser and bully Henri Gauthier-Villars (Dominic West). 

After marrying, Colette is transplanted from her childhood home in rural France to the intellectual and artistic splendour of Paris; the Belle Époque of which the Moulin Rouge is symbolic.

Soon after, Willy convinces Colette to ghostwrite for him. She pens a racy, semi-autobiographical novel about a witty and brazen country girl named Claudine, sparking a bestseller and a cultural sensation.

After its success, Colette and Willy become the talk of Paris and their adventures inspire additional Claudine novels. Willy does not give his wife any public recognition rightly owing to her, nor any of the money generated from the book’s success.

In the early stages Willy has a degree of buoyant charm. But as the movie progresses, his true nature is slowly revealed. He becomes a less engaging figure devoid of any real literary talent or empathy. However, Willy does have a natural talent for marketing.

Over time Colette comes to reject Willy’s dishonesty and philandering and embarks on her own literary and sexual adventures. She brings to her writings much of what she has experienced with Willy: the ways of the world.

Colette’s fight over creative ownership defies gender roles and drives her to make her own way.

She desires to show the world that her success is not dependent on male patronage, which is a brave move, especially when the prevailing attitude is that women writers don’t sell.

Knightley and West spark off each other: two highly skilled actors deliver worldly performances that imply Colette and Willy did engage in a real love affair. And intriguingly they suggest that Colette was never merely a victim, nor Willy purely an exploiter.

The complexities and nuances of their tumultuous unconventional marriage - at one stage they are both having secret affairs with the same androgynous American heiress (Eleanor Tomlinson) - is what makes the movie so powerful.

Colette exudes a waif-like brittleness in the beginning but as she becomes further exposed to the intrigues and exploitation of Willy she develops an inner strength. She even draws upon these harsh experiences for future Claudine novels.

While Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette lived in another century, she is a contemporary heroine: a creative and fearless woman who defied convention, especially the rigid patriarchal system.