COCO BEFORE CHANEL
Beautifully made, morally troubling, and intended for adults.
Should You Watch It?
COCO BEFORE CHANEL is a beautiful, engaging film with excellent production values. Its cinematography, richly colored costumes, directing, and performances make Gabrielle Chanel’s rise compelling to watch. The movie also captures the essence of her work as a breakthrough fashion designer.
But the film’s central character pursues relationships and career advancement in ways that leave little room for redeemable qualities in her actual life. Sexual exploitation, an adulterous affair, alcohol abuse, smoking, and a negative view of marriage are not side issues. The story presents her actions as largely detached from God or moral principles, and strong pagan elements shape its world.
The film has real artistic merit, but its content and worldview make it unsuitable for children and young teens. Adults who choose it should do so with discernment and a willingness to discuss what it celebrates and leaves out. For adults, it is worth the trip; for families with younger viewers, choose something else.
The Story
NO SPOILERS — WE KEEP THE SURPRISESAfter their mother’s death and their father’s abandonment, Gabrielle and her sister grow up in an orphanage run by nuns. Gabrielle learns sewing and dreams of performing, but her life changes when she enters the world of a wealthy racehorse owner and later meets Arthur Capel.
As Gabrielle encounters the rich and fashionable, she begins designing clothing marked by elegance, comfort, and functionality. Her relationships and ambitions eventually lead her toward a career that will make “Coco” Chanel a famous name.
Is It Any Good?
Three stars means this is a strong, appealing film with meaningful flaws. The cinematography is beautiful, the costumes and colors are richly rendered, and the performances by Audrey Tautou, Benoit Poelvoorde, and Alessandro Nivola are strong.
Anne Fontaine’s directing is superb, and the movie is a delight to watch. Its details of Coco Chanel’s life have been romanticized and stretched for entertainment, but the essence of her identity and work as a breakthrough fashion designer is captured brilliantly.
The Worldview
The film presents Gabrielle Chanel as a strong woman who does what she believes necessary to get ahead. It exalts success, freedom, style, independence, and the creation of a new identity through fashion. Her clothing designs emphasize elegance, comfort, and functionality rather than the discomfort of the fashions around her.
At the same time, the movie removes God and biblical moral principles from Gabrielle’s life. Sensual pleasures, sexual relationships, and ambition shape much of her world. Her view of marriage is deeply negative because of her parents’ broken relationship, and the film presents her continuing affair with a man after his marriage. The story also contains strong pagan elements and depicts the orphanage nuns negatively.
The movie understands Gabrielle’s determination and creative gifts, but it does not offer a biblical account of human dignity, sexuality, marriage, or success. Scripture presents marriage as a good covenant rather than merely a source of suffering: “Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh” (Genesis 2:24).
The Content Guide
The specifics — spoilers included by nature — so you can judge for your own family.
Content Summary
Light Romantic worldview with characters following their hearts and their idealistic lives are devoid of God, also with some strong pagan elements where characters live without any biblical or moral values, often filling their time with sensual pleasures, main character has a negative view of marriage contributed to by the broken relationship of her parents, plus light anti-Christian elements where nuns at orphanage are depicted as abusive; two obscenities and no profanities; no violence; partially depicted fornication, multiple instances of implied fornication, a couple of minor sexual references, and man and woman engage in adulterous affair; cleavage depicted with women’s low-cut dresses but no depicted nudity; alcohol use depicted multiple times with characters getting drunk and drunkenness depicted at a costume party; many scenes of smoking depicted by main character; and man cheats on fiancé and then continues in affair even after he is married, woman sleeps with men in order to get ahead in her career, nuns who run orphanage are presented negatively where it is said that they used to beat and starve main character and her sister, woman modifies men’s clothing for herself to wear not for feminist purposes but for comfort and functionality, and man treats woman like a courtesan and she acts as such at times.
Talk About It
Questions for the drive home, the dinner table, or the youth group.
Gabrielle sees marriage through the pain caused by her parents’ relationship. How can someone’s wounds distort a good gift, and where does healing begin?
Psalm 147:3 · Genesis 2:24The film connects personal success with using relationships to get ahead. What is the difference between wise ambition and gaining success at the expense of others?
Proverbs 16:3 · Mark 8:36Gabrielle creates clothing for elegance, comfort, and functionality. How can creativity and excellence honor God even when a person’s moral life is confused?
Exodus 35:30–35 · Colossians 3:23–24The characters live as though God and moral values do not matter. What does it mean to seek freedom while still belonging to God?
Galatians 5:13 · 1 Corinthians 6:19–20The Final Word
COCO BEFORE CHANEL is beautifully filmed, superbly directed, and strongly performed. But its sexual content, negative view of marriage, alcohol abuse, smoking, and pagan elements make it unsuitable for younger viewers. For discerning adults, it is WORTH THE TRIP — ADULTS ONLY. For other options, see.
