Director: Maïwenn
A costume drama built around the final years of the French monarchy before its collapse, Jeanne du Barry traces one woman's improbable climb from provincial obscurity into the innermost circle of Versailles.
What is Jeanne du Barry about?
Born to a seamstress outside the reach of noble privilege, Jeanne Bécu uses wit, charm, and sheer nerve to work her way into Parisian salons and eventually the attention of King Louis XV. Maïwenn directs and stars as Jeanne, opposite Johnny Depp as the aging monarch, charting how an outsider with no title or fortune becomes his last acknowledged mistress. The film follows the etiquette battles, jealous courtiers, and rigid court protocol that greet her arrival, contrasting her informal manner with the suffocating ceremony of eighteenth-century royal life. Rather than a simple rags-to-riches arc, the film lingers on the precariousness of Jeanne's position: her influence depends entirely on royal favor, and every alliance at court can turn against her overnight. Supporting turns from Benjamin Lavernhe and Pierre Richard round out a palace populated by rivals, allies of convenience, and observers waiting for her to fall.
Cast & crew
Maïwenn takes on the dual role of director and lead, playing Jeanne with a mix of guile and vulnerability, while Depp plays Louis XV as weary rather than tyrannical. Benjamin Lavernhe and Pierre Richard appear among the courtiers who alternately shield and undermine her.
Context & significance
Shot on location at the actual Palace of Versailles, the production leaned on the site's real halls and gardens to recreate the period's visual extravagance, from powdered wigs to gilded interiors. Maïwenn has described the project as an attempt to give Jeanne du Barry a fuller portrait than the caricature she is often reduced to in French popular history.
Where & how to watch
Jeanne du Barry streams on K-Time with Farsi dubbing and Farsi subtitles, and the page itself is free to browse before you sign in. A K-Time account is required to watch, and the interface is built around a Farsi-first viewing experience for audiences in the diaspora.