Angelina Jolie and the beauty brand Guerlain go together like brie and Beaujolais. The bad girl-turned-A-list actress and philanthropist has become today’s apotheosis of elegance, humility, and grace — like a punk-rock Jackie Kennedy with six adorable children and a second home in the South of France. It only seems fitting, then, that she joined forces with a Parisian company that consistently launches products that feel so fresh and exciting, you almost forget it's been around for almost 200 years.
Mon Guerlain, the eau de parfum at the center of Jolie’s new ad campaign, has the same sense of modern femininity as the star, with a healthy dose of passion and strength. There’s a real story behind the scent, a life that existed well before the fragrance was bottled up into the most luxe take on an alchemist’s bottle we’ve ever seen. And to celebrate, Guerlain and Jolie teamed up with iconic Tree of Life director Terrence Malick for a minute-long video that captures the tale through a particularly lovely lens.
The short movie, titled “Notes of a Woman,” was filmed in Provence, France, where the Carla lavender (which plays a starring role in the Mon Guerlain scent) is grown and harvested. As a nod to the profession that has helped the fragrance house to build its illustrious name and reputation since 1828, Guerlain cast an actor to star alongside Jolie in the role of the house perfumer, Thierry Wasser.
In just 60 seconds, Malick manages to capture the subtleties of the creative process in a way that feels like a truly intimate look at how Mon Guerlain was made. True, the actual creation probably involved a couple of lab coats and way more beakers, but we’ll take a romp through fields of lavender with Angelina Jolie and a handsome parfumeur over a chemistry lesson any day of the week.