Julie Delpy is one of the most underrated talents working in and out of Hollywood. The Parisian actress has starred in some of the most celebrated movies of the past 25 years and has slowly become a terrific writer, director, and producer behind such movies as Two Days in Paris, Two Days in New York, Lolo, My Zoe, and more.
Delpy's newest project is the popular Netflix original series On The Verge, which boasts her signature tonal balance between delightful comedy and messy drama as four female friends try to navigate life in their 50s. As fans wait to hear of a season 2 renewal, it's worth revisiting Delpy's impressive cinematic resume.
Bad Blood (1986) - 7.3
Acclaimed French filmmaker Leos Carax cast a 17-year-old Julie Delpy in his second film, Bad Blood, in which a mysterious and scary virus called STBO is ravaging French citizens who have loveless sex. Delpy plays Lise, the girlfriend of the protagonist Alex (Denis Lavant), an outcast in search ff the viral antidote.
With a distinctly European sensibility and poetic arthouse vibe, Bad Blood was an important entry in the formation of Cinema Du Look, a movement of French filmmaking that favors style over substance. Although it was just Delpy's third feature film at the time, she made a lasting impression as a fresh-faced ingenue.
Avengers: Age Of Ultron (2015) - 7.3
In her only superhero movie appearance, Delpy classes up the environs of Avengers: Age of Ultron as Madame B., the Red Room supervisor who trains Natasha Romanoff (Scarlett Johansson) to become the deadly Black Widow. When Natasha begins failing her training on purpose, Madame B. sees through the ruse and puts her through graduation anyway.
Delpy brings an air of intelligence and sophistication that goes a long way in establishing the hierarchy within the Red Room organization, but she also has a stern, commanding demeanor that pushes Natasha to reach her full potential. If it weren't for Madame B. believing in Natasha when she lacks faith in herself, she may not have become one of the most dangerous assassins in S.H.I.E.L.D.
Europa Europa (1990) - 7.6
Venerated Polish filmmaker Agnieszka Holland cast Delpy as Leni in Europa Europa, the devastating historical drama about a boy named Solomon (Marco Hofschneider) who escapes the Holocaust by posing as a Nazi German soldier. When Solomon reluctantly falls in love with Leni, a staunch German Nazi soldier, things become even more complicated for the boy.
Along with Schindler's List, The Pianist, and Life Is Beautiful, Europa Europa is one of the best movies about the Holocaust. The film not only educates about the historical event but also emphasizes the underlying humanity shown in the worst times imaginable. Delpy gives a layered turn as an amorous schoolgirl in love with a boy concealing his Jewish identity while also espousing hateful views as a staunch Nazi supporter, making for a morally complex tale.
Three Colors: White (1994) - 7.6
In one of the most critically adored French movie trilogies ever made, Delpy plays the character of Dominique in all Three Colors written and directed by Krzysztof Kieslowski. The second film in the series, White, details the intimate marriage of Dominique and Karol (Zbigniew Zamachowski) that comes apart at the seams after they relocate from Poland to Paris.
The aching slice of life drama focuses on Karol following the couple's divorce and the downward spiral he faces in becoming a street beggar. Hellbent on exacting revenge on Dominique for their divorce, the story veers into a wildly unpredictable and emotionally gut-punching finale that reaffirms Kieslowski's superior storytelling.
Waking Life (2001) - 7.8
While she only has one scene in Richard Linklater's existential avant-garde animated movie Waking Life, Delpy reprises her role as Celine from Linklater's Before trilogy. It's a really fun cameo for fans of both Linklater and Delpy, solidifying the connective tissue between the filmmaker's larger creative universe.
Hailed for its bold, impressive Rotoscope animation and deep philosophical subject matter, Waking Life is Linklater at his most contemplative as he explores the nature of sleep, dreams, waking nightmares, and the meaning of consciousness itself.
Three Colors: Blue (1993) - 7.9
The first of Kieslowski's Three Colors trilogy includes Blue, which features Dominique (Delpy) in a much smaller role. The story is more concerned with Julie (Juliette Binoche), a woman trying her best to heal her heart and soul following the death of her husband and young daughter in a car crash.
Far more austere and sentimentally bruising than White, Blue showcases Binoche's magnificent acting talent as a woman reeling from unspeakable grief, tragic loss, and an inescapable sense of hopelessness. The way in which Kieslowski blends Dominique and other characters from the trilogy into the fore and background makes for a truly special cinematic tapestry.
Before Midnight (2013) - 7.9
Eclipsing the import of her role in Three Colors, Delpy gives the most robust and well-rounded performance of her career as Celine in the Before trilogy. Moreover, she earned Oscar nominations for Best Adapted Screenplay for her contributions to Before Sunset and Before Midnight, making her an equal partner to Richard Linklater and Ethan Hawke.
In the final chapter of the trilogy, Celine and Jesse find themselves in Greece as the summer wanes. Now parents living apart, they try to reconcile how to raise their children, leading to a massive row that tests the strength of their marriage. With unmatched naturalism and raw authenticity, Before Midnight is Linklater at his finest and one of the most realistically touching romantic dramas in recent memory.
Three Colors: Red - 8.1
Rounding out the Three Colors trilogy is Red, a universally beloved story about a model named Valentine (Irene Jacob) who discovers the voyeuristic habits of a nosy judge. The themes of fraternity, human interconnectivity, and the commonality shared among people despite their purported differences.
The story of Valentine and the judge takes center stage, but it's the hugely gratifying finale in which their characters suddenly cross paths with Dominque (Delpy) and Julie (Binoche) from Blue and White at the end that makes the completion of the trilogy so profoundly special. The way in which Dominique in particular appears on the ferry with the other characters from the trilogy comes full circle in a way that paints a grand gestalt from a true artist. Each film in the trilogy feels complete on its own, but when the finale of Red comes, the totality comes into much sharper focus for an overall more fulfilling experience.
Before Sunset (2004) - 8.1
Nine years after Celine and Jesse met in Vienna for the first time, they finally reunite in Prague to pick up their romantic dalliances. However, he's now married to a woman he doesn't love and she must explain why she stood him up when they decided to meet six months after their first encounter.
All of this sets up for a delightfully brisk romantic escapade through the picturesque European city as the two lovelorn strangers reconnect, rekindle their passionate bond, and talk their way through the ups and downs of life. The honesty, realism, and chemistry between Delpy and Hawke is nothing short of cinematic alchemy, proving that true love is worth fighting for and pursuing over the long haul.
Before Sunrise (1995) - 8.1
Inspired by a real encounter writer/director Richard Linklater had in his twenties, Before Sunrise introduces Celine (Delpy) to Jesse (Hawke) on a train in Vienna, where they get off together and spend the most romantic single night of their life together as strangers.
The intoxicating sparks of romance lead to an 18-year-long trilogy of perhaps the most intimate and exhaustive adult relationship ever explored on film. Despite being tightly scripted and rigorously rehearsed, the film has loose, improvisational energy that feels as true as can be. Like the best of Delpy's characters, Celine emits the full range of human emotion to create a colorful, fully dimensional person whose flaws and virtues make her equally lovable.