Bardo stood by the window in her luxurious villa. Her hair was tied back in a neat bun, and she held a fragrant cup of linden tea in her hands. On this day, the legendary actress turned 89, but she did not dream of cake, champagne, and flowers, but simply of peace of mind and a decision.
For decades, Brigitte was a symbol of beauty, freedom and rebellion. But the flash of cameras, the passage of time and a life spent waiting took their toll, weighing heavily on her shoulders. People wanted to see not Brigitte, a woman who often cried, doubted herself and suffocated at night from lack of air, but Bardot.
Her husband approached the birthday girl unnoticed. Bernard quietly asked if she had slept or not again. All these years, the actress’s husband had been by her side, supporting and comforting her. When she left the world of cinema, he was there for her, and when she became involved in animal rights activism, he was there for her too. And, of course, her husband did not leave her at her hospital bedside when she was lying there unable to breathe.
Without turning around, Brigitte said that she had finally made a decision.
‘I want to do it. Let everyone know my real story, where the lies were, what roles I played, about love. But most of all, I want to talk about the real me.’
‘Are you going to write a book?’
‘No, a film. Only about Brigitte, not about Bardot.’
Bernard’s first thought was that his wife was joking, but he soon realised he was wrong. Then came a year of conversations with directors, recording memories, reading old diaries, reliving certain moments in her life. The result was not just a biographical film, but an honest and tender film about a woman who is always in the spotlight, about ageing in the public eye, about sincere love and courage. The courage to tell the truth and show her true self.
At the end of the film, Bernard and Brigitte sat together in an empty theatre. This screening was just for the two of them, while the film itself was celebrated around the world. The man took his beloved woman by the hand and said quietly, ‘I am glad that the world has finally seen the real you, the way I knew you from the first time we met.’
After these words, Brigitte smiled tenderly at the man she loved so much. She did it not as a screen star, a beloved actress of the whole world, but as a woman who had become herself. Now she is not shy about anything, lives a full life and enjoys every day she lives. A happy day.
