Colette

Colette’s bisexuality and relationships with women are a major part of her growth. Missy presents as masculine, and the film treats that identity with respect. The story links sexual freedom, clothes, and public performance to Colette finding her own voice. Colette’s fight to own her writing and reject Willy’s control also gives the film a strong female-empowerment message.

The story repeatedly shows Willy’s male entitlement through cheating, control, and taking credit for Colette’s work. Colette and Missy push back against rigid gender dress and marriage rules. The film presents female independence and sexual freedom as the better path. It does not attack Christianity, capitalism, or broad Western institutions.

The film presents real historical figure Mathilde de Morny as a masculine person who sometimes uses male pronouns. It also gives Missy a speech about not fitting simple male or female language. That framing is more direct and modern than a plain account of her clothes and relationships. Missy’s real history supports much of the portrayal, so this remains a limited change rather than a major rewrite.

A small X account compared the film to the “every movie is woke DEI with a white villain” meme. The post also said the true-biopic basis meant Colette did not really count as that kind of film. The post had about 100 views and no engagement, and no boycott or review bomb was found.

Wash Westmoreland and Richard Glatzer have strong records of queer-centered stories, with stored scores of 66 and 74. Rebecca Lenkiewicz has a milder record tied to women’s rights and abuse reporting, with a stored score of 45. Christine Vachon and Pamela Koffler have long records of queer and identity-focused films, with stored scores of 72 and 64. This background matches Colette’s focus on a woman owning her work, sexual freedom, and a lover who lives in a masculine way.