SYNOPSIS

"The Marquise Project" is an intellectual puzzle as well as an emotional journey. Two present-day American women find their lives and careers enmeshed with the legendary Marquise de Sevigne, a 17th Century French aristocrat.

Lenore Kae, an African-American historian who has written a bestselling biography of the Marquise, and Rebecca Kimball, an aging actress cast as the Marquise in a new Broadway play, are unaware of each other. They meet in dreamtime, however, where they confront the received history of the Marquise’s involvement in an insurrection in Brittany and the genocide that resulted. Together, they arrive at a startling conclusion that changes both their lives.

The film’s visual style is a blend of impressionism and narrative realism. The women’s personal and professional lives, dream sequences in 17th Century France, and rehearsals and opening night of the play are interwoven throughout the film. Only at the denouement do all the threads connect.