Beauties at War 2009

Two neighboring communities, Charmoussey and Upper-Charmoussey (often called Upper Charmoussey), have lived in a persistent, old-school rivalry shaped by their fortunes and family ties. Charmoussey sits on the poorer side of the divide, while Upper-Charmoussey thrives thanks to a nearby ski resort and a more prosperous economy. The animosity fuels a local beauty pageant where the contestants from Upper-Charmoussey consistently take the crown. With the two towns so small that merging Charmoussey into Upper-Charmoussey feels like a final blow to Charmoussey’s identity, the locals see their last real chance to win the pageant slipping away unless they can pull off a miracle.

That miracle arrives in the form of Franck Chevrel, a down-on-his-luck actor who has spent more time as an extra (often playing dead on screen) than in starring roles. He left Charmoussey years ago after being deemed odd, a perception tied to his eccentric scientist father who died in a flying-suit experiment. Despite his reluctance to return, Franck acknowledges that this might be his only shot at redemption, and he agrees to coach the Charmoussey girls using whatever limited showbiz know-how he has picked up along the way. His return is tinged with the memory of a past incident that brought him notoriety—an accident that led to the leg injury of the famous actress Catherine Deneuve—a moment that has come to stand in for his best-known credit up to this point.

As Franck begins training the girls, the village’s hopes are rekindled and the pageant plan starts to take shape. He attempts to translate stagecraft into pageant polish, bringing a sense of spectacle and discipline to a contest that has long favored Upper-Charmoussey’s resources. The effort is not just about beauty; it’s about memory, pride, and proving that Charmoussey can still compete on equal footing when push comes to shove. The process is not smooth—tensions rise, egos collide, and the line between coaching and meddling blurs—but the town clings to the belief that a concerted effort, even from a small corner of the world, can rewrite a community’s narrative.

Meanwhile, the people of Upper-Charmoussey watch closely, not willing to concede their advantage without a fight. They learn of Franck’s involvement and launch their own counter-espionage campaign, carried out through the town’s everyday channels, with the local postman playing a key, comic role in keeping tabs on Charmoussey’s every move. The back-and-forth between the two sides heightens the comedy and highlights the tensions between tradition and reinvention, rural pride and the lure of a bigger stage.

Overall, the story blends humor with affection for small-town life, presenting a portrait of rivalry that is both affectionate and sharp. It explores how far people will go for recognition, how much they value community, and how love of place can compete with the glitter of outside success—all through a narrative that stays true to its roots while inviting a brighter, more humorous look at what it means to chase a dream in a place that never forgets where it began.