A globally acclaimed opera singer and a stand-up comedian have their first child, and their lives are completely changed.
"Before Annette dives into 140 minutes of moody songs and swooning tragicomic twists, director Leos Carax takes charge. In a grumbling voiceover, he advises his viewers to 'hold your breath until the very end of the show.' It’s exactly the sort of impossible request that makes sense for this mind-blowing musical fantasia: Annette doesn’t just take your breath away; it keeps your breath hostage until the credits roll.
"Combining the energizing compositions of Sparks with Carax’s ever-enigmatic creativity, Annette powers through its expressive rock opera conceit with a propulsive Adam Driver at its center. He sings through virtually every scene as if the world depended on it. And for the purposes of this movie, it does: Carax’s first directorial effort that he didn’t write, Annette turns on the peculiar balance of the Sparks’ compositions, Carax’s operatic style, and Driver’s deranged performance as a comedian doomed to fail. Sure, there’s also a wooden baby that sings and the occasional cutaway to a melancholic gorilla, but they all exist to support the larger cause." - Indiewire