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Sylvie Testud

Sylvie Testud

Actor, also writer and director · Born January 17, 1971 (55) · Lyon, Rhône, France

Sylvie Testud was born on January 17, 1971 in Lyon. Her parents separated when she was two years old. She spent her youth in the Lyon district of Croix-Rousse, raised by her mother, an accountant. In high school, she learned Chinese. Very early fascinated by the cinema, the young girl identifies in particular with the complexed teenager character embodied by Charlotte Gainsbourg in L'Effrontée. Having moved to Paris to study history, she soon embarked on acting by joining the free class at Cours Florent and then the Conservatory, where her teachers were Jacques Lassalle and Catherine Hiegel. She made her first screen appearance in 1994 in Couples et amants. She decided to become an actress during her youth, after having admired actresses in films. She then took acting lessons in Lyon with the actor and director Christian Taponard. In 1989, she moved to Paris to study history, as well as drama lessons in free classes at Cours Florent, then at the National Conservatory of Dramatic Art for three years, with Jacques Lassalle and Catherine Hiegel for teachers. In the early 1990s, she obtained her first small roles in the cinema, then in feature films such as The Story of the Boy Who Wanted to Be Kissed by Philippe Harel (1994), Le Plus Bel Age..., by Didier Haudepin (1995) or even Love, etc. by Marion Vernoux (1996). In 1997, Sylvie Testud experienced her first great success at the cinema in Germany with the film Beyond Silence by Caroline Link, for which she learned German, the clarinet and sign language. She is rewarded as best actress by the German Film Prize (the equivalent of the César for best actress). In 1998, she played her first major role in French cinema and enjoyed great success in France with the role of Béa in Karnaval, the first feature film by Thomas Vincent, for which she was nominated for the César for best female hope and received the Michael Simon Prize. She then began an important acting career with a preference for auteur cinema. In 2000, her performance in La Captive by Chantal Akerman (adaptation of the novel La Prisonnière by Marcel Proust) earned her a nomination as best actress at the European Film Prize. In 2001, she obtained, for her second nomination, the César for best female hope for the remarkable interpretation of Christine Papin, one of the Papin sisters, in Les Blessures assassines by Jean-Pierre Denis, based on a news item from 1933.

Read more

Biography from TMDB.

Born
January 17, 1971 (55)
From
Lyon, Rhône, France
Works as
Actor, also writer and director
Titles
40 on MovieCove · 124 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 37 days to Oct 26

What are Sylvie Testud's films like?

Across their 36 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Self and Bonds.

Genres

Comedy16 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 30th percentile
: browse their Comedy movies
Drama10 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 57th percentile
: browse their Drama movies
Biography3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 85th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Biography movies
Action2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 74th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Action movies
Crime2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 66th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Crime movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Self
32%
Bonds
23%
Morality
15%
Society
10%
Power
10%
Survival
8%
Ideas
2%
Identity10 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds7 titles, browse their movies with this themeRomantic love6 titles, browse their movies with this themePurpose6 titles, browse their movies with this themeJustice5 titles, browse their movies with this themePrejudice4 titles, browse their movies with this themeFriendship5 titles, browse their movies with this themeSelf-worth4 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 34 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Serious: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their serious movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

A split, not a type: Light 16 · Serious 5 · Dark 13

Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

A split, not a type: Grounded 18 · Stylized 13 · Heightened 3

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 12 · Charged 14 · Intense 8

Shifting: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their shifting movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 16 · Shifting 16 · Whiplash 2

Some laughs: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their some laughs movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

A split, not a type: Straight-faced 16 · Some laughs 9 · Funny 9

Slow burn: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their slow burn movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 21 · Even-paced 12 · Relentless 1

Engaged: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their engaged movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

A split, not a type: Casual 16 · Engaged 14 · Full focus 4

Affecting: How much it costs you emotionally; whether you need recovery time. Browse their affecting movies.
Demand · Emotional cost
easyheavy

A split, not a type: Easy watch 12 · Affecting 11 · Heavy 11

Open-ended: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their open-ended movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

A split, not a type: Resolved 19 · Open-ended 9 · Ambiguous 6

Roles they play

15 analyzed roles

Usually the Hero: 4 of 15 analyzed roles.

Hero
4 of 15
Shadow
3 of 15
Ally
3 of 15
Shapeshifter
2 of 15
Threshold guardian
2 of 15
Mentor
1 of 15
Show the 15 roles

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Melancholic
18
Tense
15
Warm
11
Contemplative
11
Absurd
9
Other
29

How their films linger

Thought-provoking12 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet13 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHaunting10 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good8 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteUnsettling7 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun7 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 3 with a twist

  • Happy8
  • Bittersweet14
  • Tragic6
  • Ambiguous8

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Sylvie Testud's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 13 of their 40 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Prime Video (7).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Sylvie Testud's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

124 credits, 40 with a MovieCove page; 14 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • Jíkuri. Journey to the Land of the Tarahumara (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2026)

    as Mathilde

  • Ooh La La 2(2026)

    as Nicole Martin

    Midcredits score: 12th percentile of all films

  • LOL 2.0(2026)

    as Sylvie

    Midcredits score: 29th percentile of all films

  • Where Souls Go(2025)

    as Stéphanie

    Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all films

  • Proust and Signs: On Chantal Akerman's "La Captive" (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2025)

    as archive image

  • Sur la dalle (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2024)

    Show 2 episodes · as Froissy

  • The Two of Them (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2024)

    as Sandrine

  • Knok (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2024)

    Show 6 episodes · as Blanche

  • Cocorico(2024)

    as Nicole Martin

    Midcredits score: 31st percentile of all films

  • Des mains en or (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2023)

    as Rose

  • Marinette (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2023)

    as Régine Pierre, Saint-Memmie coach

  • A Case for Kin (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2023)

    Show 5 episodes · as Capitaine Caroline Flament

  • The Grand Restaurant IV (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2022)

    Actor

  • Maman, ne me laisse pas m'endormir (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2022)

    Director · as Sophie

  • Simone: Woman of the Century(2022)

    as Marceline Rozenberg (1968 - 1979)

    Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films

  • Le Figaro La Nuit (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2022)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

  • Tout le monde savait (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2022)

    as Valérie Bacot

  • Champagne ! (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2022)

    as Joanna

  • What Pauline Is Not Telling You(2022)

    Show 4 episodes · as major de gendarmerie Marie Hermann

    Midcredits score: 46th percentile of all shows

  • Flashback(2021)

    as Olympe de Gouges

    Midcredits score: 51st percentile of all films

  • L'Heureux Stratagème (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2021)

    as La Comtesse

  • Un monde, un regard (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2021)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

  • Runaway (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2021)

    Show 6 episodes · as Isabelle

  • The Grand Restaurant III (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2021)

    as The nymphomaniac's friend

  • I Love You Coiffure(2020)

    as Geneviève (segment "L'Addition")

    Midcredits score: 3rd percentile of all films

  • Fear by the Lake (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2020)

    Show 6 episodes · as Alice Wagner

  • Meet the Malawas(2019)

    as Nathalie Dulac

    Midcredits score: 5th percentile of all films

  • Disclaimer (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2019)

    as Maïté

  • Eden (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2019)

    Show 6 episodes · as Hélène

  • Quand sort la recluse (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2019)

    as le lieutenant Froissy

  • Quand sort la recluse (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2019)

    Show 2 episodes · as le lieutenant Froissy

  • Heavy Duty(2019)

    as Jennifer

    Midcredits score: 6th percentile of all films

  • Defiant Souls (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2019)

    as Enriqueta Faber / Enrique Faber

  • Deutsch-Les-Landes (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2018)

    Show 10 episodes · as Odile

  • Suspiria(2018)

    as Miss Griffith

    Midcredits score: 74th percentile of all films

  • Deux gouttes d'eau (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2018)

    as Valérie Laforge

  • Fan Club (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2018)

    as Anna

  • A New Girl in Paris! (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2018)

    as Amandine

  • Kings for a Day (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2018)

    as Val

  • Final Portrait(2017)

    as Annette Giacometti

    Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all films

  • Wedding Unplanned(2017)

    as Clarisse

    Midcredits score: 46th percentile of all films

  • Maximilian(2017)

    Show 6 episodes · as Charlotte de Savoye

    Midcredits score: 64th percentile of all shows

  • Mörderische Stille (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2017)

    as Elena

  • Tamara(2016)

    as Amandine

    Midcredits score: 31st percentile of all films

  • Le correspondant(2016)

    as Eloïse

    Midcredits score: 8th percentile of all films

  • The Visitors: Bastille Day(2016)

    as Charlotte de Robespierre

    Midcredits score: 7th percentile of all films

  • Arrête ton cinéma ! (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2016)

    Novel · Screenplay · as Sybille

  • Captain Marleau(2014)

    Show 1 episode · as Salomé Revel

    Midcredits score: 44th percentile of all shows

  • Too Close to Our Son(2015)

    as Sophie Picard

    Midcredits score: 45th percentile of all films

  • Le talent de mes amis(2015)

    as Stéphane Brunge

    Midcredits score: 19th percentile of all films

  • The Spiderwebhouse(2015)

    as Sabine

    Midcredits score: 47th percentile of all films

  • Two Women (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2014)

    as Elisaveta Bogdanovna

  • Ceux qui dansent sur la tête (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2014)

    as Catherine

  • Papa Was Not a Rolling Stone (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2014)

    as Nadiège

  • French Women(2014)

    as Sam

    Midcredits score: 27th percentile of all films

  • 24 Days(2014)

    as Brigitte Farell

    Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all films

  • 96 heures (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2014)

    as Marion Reynaud

  • À votre bon coeur mesdames(2013)

    as Lolita

    Midcredits score: 22nd percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • My Name Is Hmmm... (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2013)

    as La mère de Céline

  • Les Déferlantes (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2013)

    as Louise

  • For a Woman(2013)

    as Anne

    Midcredits score: 60th percentile of all films

  • A Song For Mama (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2013)

    as Sylvie

  • Roxana's Hands (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2013)

    as Roxana Orlac

  • Max (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2013)

    as Nina

  • Another Woman's Life(2012)

    Director · Writer

    Midcredits score: 57th percentile of all films

  • Rebellion(2011)

    as Chantal Legorjus

    Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all films

  • The Night Clerk (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2011)

    as Sylvie Poncet

  • L'Amour, la Mort, les Fringues (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2011)

    Actor

  • The Rebel, Louise Michel (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2010)

    as Louise Michel

  • Mumu(2010)

    as Mumu

    Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all films

  • The Round Up(2010)

    as Bella Zygler

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films

  • Sentiments provisoires (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2010)

    as Hélène

  • Sisters (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2009)

    Novel · as Sybille adulte

  • Lucky Luke(2009)

    as Calamity Jane

    Midcredits score: 10th percentile of all films

  • Lourdes(2009)

    as Christine

    Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all films

  • Can't Say No (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2009)

    as Adèle

  • Vengeance(2009)

    as Irene Costello

    Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all films

  • A Happy Man (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2009)

    as Catherine

  • The Idiot (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2008)

    as Darya Alexeyevna

  • Sagan (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2008)

    as Françoise Quoirez dite Sagan

  • The Vanishing Point (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2007)

    as Lucie Audibert

  • Arthur Honegger - Jeanne D'Arc Au Bucher (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2007)

    as Jeanne d'Arc

  • La France (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2007)

    as Camille

  • Eat, for This Is My Body (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2007)

    as Madame

  • La Vie En Rose(2007)

    as Simone 'Mômone' Berteaut

    Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all films

  • Legacy (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2006)

    as Patricia

  • La vie est à nous ! (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2005)

    as Louise Delhomme

  • Words in Blue (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2005)

    as Clara

  • Victoire (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2004)

    as Victoire

  • Cause toujours ! (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2004)

    as Léa

  • Tout pour l'oseille (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2004)

    as Prune

  • Tomorrow We Move (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2004)

    as Charlotte

  • Dédales(2003)

    as Claude

    Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all films

  • Dead Man's Memories (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2003)

    as Das Mädchen

  • Only Girls (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2003)

    as Tina

  • Fear and Trembling(2003)

    as Amélie

    Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all films

  • A Loving Father (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2002)

    as Virginia

  • Life Kills Me (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2002)

    as Myriam

  • Stolen Tangos (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2002)

    as Alice / Paula

  • Women or Children First (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2002)

    as Virginie

  • A Moment of Happiness (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2002)

    as L'institutrice

  • Everyman's Feast (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2002)

    as Sophie

  • I'm Going Home(2001)

    as Ariel

    Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all films

  • The Château (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2001)

    as Isabelle

  • Julies Geist (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2001)

    as Julia

  • The Dark Room (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2000)

    as Azalaïs

  • Murderous Maids (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2000)

    as Christine Papin

  • The Captive(2000)

    as Ariane

    Midcredits score: 54th percentile of all films

  • Scénarios sur la drogue (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2000)

    as Segment "Lucie"

  • Bad Connection (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2000)

    as Laurence

  • Gigantic(1999)

    Thanks

    Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all films

  • In Heaven (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1999)

    as Valeska

  • Annaluise & Anton (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1999)

    as Laurence

  • Karnaval (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1999)

    as Béa

  • Marée haute (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1999)

    Actor

  • The Misadventures of Margaret(1998)

    as Young Nun

    Midcredits score: 22nd percentile of all films

  • Sentimental Education (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1998)

    as Julia

  • Fire in Paradise (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1997)

    as Esther

  • Beyond Silence (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1996)

    as Lara

  • Those Were the Days (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1995)

    as Sylvie

  • Éternelles (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1994)

    as Nathalie

  • The Story of a Boy Who Wanted to Be Kissed (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1994)

    as Girl at party offering food

  • Maries Lied(1994)

    as Marie

    Midcredits score: 32nd percentile of all films

  • Tout un poème (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Director · Screenplay · Actor

Career shape

Star power in the 99th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 124 titles, 123 of them dated from 1994 to 2026; peak year 2017.

Biggest box office

La Vie En Rose (2007)

$87M worldwide

Highest rated

La Vie En Rose (2007)

Midcredits 93rd

Most popular right now

Suspiria (2018)

Film career

19942026

Peak 2017 · steadily prominent in film for years. Top draw in 6 MovieCove titles. Film roles by billing, audience size and rating; 25+ votes. A show carries a single first-air date, so shows are not on the curve.

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting122 of 124: 118 only acting, 4 with another role · typical Midcredits score47thDirecting3 of 124: 0 only directing, 3 with another roleWriting4 of 124: 0 only writing, 4 with another roleOther crew1 of 124: 1 only other crew, 0 with another role

124 titles, 5 with more than one role — acting and writing overlap on 3 of them.

By decade

1990s13 · 12 acting · 1 crew2000s38 · 38 acting · 1 crew2010s46 · 45 acting · 2 crew2020s26 · 26 acting · 1 crew

Billing

usually 4th · top billed in 14% of 42 roles
9606111621

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored. Billing is TMDB cast order for roles with 25+ votes, billed in the top 30; the columns are the share of top-billed roles in each era, 5-year spans from the year on the label, merged until each holds at least 5 roles.

How do Sylvie Testud's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 51st percentile, the median of all 37; across their 34 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 51st percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

51stpercentile
Typical film, the median of 34

Approval · how many liked their films

49thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 34

Reach · how many have seen their films

75thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 34

Midcredits score across 40 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up8
  • 50th to 74th12
  • 25th to 49th10
  • Below 25th10

Shape of the crowd

18 of their 40 titles are Mixed.

  • Universally Loved2
  • Universally Panned3
  • Crowd Pleaser12
  • Broadly Agreed5
  • Mixed18

Most divisive · actor

À votre bon coeur mesdames (2013)

66th percentile spread · 42% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · actor

La Vie En Rose (2007)

Midcredits 93rd · 83% liked

Reviewers score the acting 74/100 in their films, across 25 reviewed titles; fans 81, detractors 48. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Is Sylvie Testud's work okay for kids?

Across up to 6 MovieCove titles with content scores, sex & nudity runs heavier than most films.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Sex & Nudity6 titles12–63 · median 47 · moderateheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 32
Alcohol & Drugs3 titlesmedian 60 · intenseMedian of all films: 33

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.

Who does Sylvie Testud work with?

People who share at least 2 of Sylvie Testud's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Christian Clavier shares the most, 5.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Composers, cinematographers and editors

Producers

Mixed roles