The film is structured as a largely non-linear series of key events from the life of Édith Piaf. The film begins with elements from her childhood, and at the end with the events prior to and surrounding her death, poignantly juxtaposed by a performance of her song, Non, je ne regrette rien (No, I do not Regret Anything).
Beginning in 1918, young Édith suffers a chaotic childhood and is eventually sent to live with her paternal-grandmother, who runs a brothel in Normandy. Édith witnesses the brutal business of prostitution. When she suffers an episode of keratitis-induced blindness, a kind-hearted sex worker named Titine tenderly cares for Édith.
Édith's World War I veteran father collects her to accompany him while he works as a circus acrobat. One night, Édith sees a vision of St Thérèse in a fire eater's flames. St Thérèse says she will always be with Édith&mdasha belief that she carries for the rest of her life. When Édith is nine years old, her father leaves the circus and performs on the streets of Paris. During a lackluster performance, a passerby asks if Édith is part of the show. She spontaneously sings La Marseillaise with raw emotion, mesmerizing the street crowd.
Starring
Marion Cotillard
Sylvie Testud
Pascal Greggory
Emmanuelle Seigner
Jean-Paul Rouve
Gérard Depardieu
Clotilde Courau
Jean-Pierre Martins
Catherine Allégret
Marc Barbé
Spoken languages: French
Subtitles: Danish,Swedish,Norwegian,Finnish
