As Laura enters Souria’s orbit, what begins as a professional relationship slowly shifts into something more ambiguous and intimate. Between the two women, separated by class, culture and power, a fragile bond begins to emerge. Yet the mansion, with all its beauty, starts to feel less like a refuge than a cage. Laura senses that Souria may be in danger, and that the opulence surrounding them is not protection, but control.
Presented in Cannes' Séance Spéciale, Le Triangle d’or marks Rosselet-Ruiz as a filmmaker interested in the dangerous elegance of appearances. Drawing from personal experience and shaped by questions of gender, class and domination, the film looks beyond easy stereotypes to explore two women caught inside a system where privilege and vulnerability are never as far apart as they seem.
AM: How did you try to avoid stereotypes about women of Arab origin, particularly Saudi women, who are often perceived as protected and wealthy?
Hélène Rosselet-Ruiz: I first drew from my own personal experience, having worked for a Saudi woman as a housekeeper. Then, with my co-writer, we had conversations with women in Saudi Arabia and in Paris, particularly artists. We also researched the subject through Hélène Coutard’s book Les Fugitives, about women who left Saudi Arabia. I also worked closely with costume designer and actress Soundos Mosbah to create a character who is modern, socially dominant yet vulnerable, and who goes beyond cliché.
AM: Does your relationship with your former employer resemble the relationship between Laura and the character?
Hélène Rosselet-Ruiz: Let’s say that some elements were inspired by it, particularly this relationship of repulsion and attraction, this desire to share something despite the class violence that persists. That hot-and-cold dynamic, feeling flattered to be considered, but also humiliated. For example, the swimming pool scene illustrates how a body can impose domination. It is based on my own experience, but also on many encounters. By tightening the relationship between the two characters, we were able to explore these dynamics more deeply.
AM: Can you talk about the casting process? Why these particular actors?
Hélène Rosselet-Ruiz: Soundos and I met six years ago for a short film. She comes from theatre, with great technique and a strong ability to access emotion. As for Malou Khebizi, I had seen her in Wild Diamond, where she showed a complete immersion in the role. She has a physical power and brings humour and insolence to the character. For Emre, I initially looked for a Turkish actor, but I chose Ziad Bakri because he had the physical presence and gentleness I was looking for, even though he had to work on his French phonetics. As for Kassem Al Khoja, he was initially considered for another role, but he turned out to be perfect to play a young and handsome Monsieur, far from the cliché of the big villain.
AM: Were there any challenges during the shoot or production? Any anecdotes?
Hélène Rosselet-Ruiz: Yes, several. First, there was all the work around language. Initially, we looked for Saudi actors, but for reasons that were probably political, they were not able to take part. We had to work with someone in Riyadh for the translations and voice recordings. Ziad did not speak French, and Malou does not speak English very well, which created constant communication challenges. We also had to navigate between different dialects: Levantine Arabic, Gulf Arabic, and French. Another major challenge was representing luxury on a small budget without making it look cheap. We carried out twenty-two weeks of location scouting, and the costumes, along with the panther and the set design, required a considerable amount of work.
AM: What’s next? What are you preparing?
Hélène Rosselet-Ruiz: I am currently working on a feature film co-written with my sister Marie, who is also a director. As for what comes next, I don’t yet know what I will do on my own.