Widow Clicquot

A 2023 drama film, co-produced by the USA, UK, and France, directed by Thomas Napper, with a screenplay by Erin Dignam and Christopher Monger, based on Tilar Mazzeo's book "The Widow Clicquot". The plot centers on Barbe-Nicole Ponsardin Clicquot (Haley Bennett), a young woman who, at the age of 27, becomes a widow after the death of her husband François Clicquot (Tom Sturridge) during the Napoleonic Wars. Instead of selling the family winery, as her father-in-law Philippe Clicquot (Ben Miles) wished, Barbe-Nicole decides to continue her husband's work and develop champagne production. She is supported by wine merchant Louis Bohne (Sam Riley), with whom she has complex business and personal relationships. Facing Napoleon's trade embargo, they find ways to circumvent restrictions and expand their market. The film explores her struggle for a place in the business world, overcoming personal and professional challenges, and her contribution to establishing the Veuve Clicquot brand.