Number One

Emmanuelle Blachey (Emmanuelle Devos) is a brilliant and determined engineer who has risen up through the ranks of her company — a major French energy firm — and now sits on the board of directors. When an influential women’s network approaches her to take the lead of one of the stock exchange’s top companies, things quickly change around Emmanuelle.

The opportunity to become the first woman in this prestigious position is a challenge the business woman is ready to undertake, but competing in a realm still largely dominated by men is no mean feat. The ambitious woman must marshal her forces to overcome the hurdles of the milieu, including corporate sexism and personal demons in order to take part in the ruthless race for power.

An excellent cast carries a suspenseful plot in this corporate thriller of political intrigue and economic power, where Emmanuelle Devos brilliantly plays a woman fighting her way in a male dominated world. Her nuanced performance as a determined but also fragile human being recalls other recent French thrillers — such as 150 Milligrams (2017 AFFFF) — that are as much an insight into the world of big corporations as a modern portrayal of a woman’s personal journey and fight for her ideals.