After a devastating accident ends her career as a celebrated dancer, fiercely ambitious Hellé Nice refuses to accept defeat and reinvents herself as a daring race car driver in the male-dominated world of 1920s and '30s motorsport. Battling grief, prejudice, and the relentless passage of time, she risks everything to claim her place in history, determined to prove that speed, courage, and reinvention belong to no one but herself.

SYNOPSIS:

Hellé is a sweeping, emotionally charged biopic chronicling the life of Hélène Delangle—better known as Hellé Nice—whose journey from rural French childhood to international racing stardom, and eventual obscurity, mirrors the turbulence and transformation of the early 20th century.

The film opens in 1936, São Paulo—Hellé, gravely injured in a racing crash, hovers between life and death. Her story unfolds in a series of vivid, immersive flashbacks. As a child in 1905, Hélène is transfixed by the spectacle of early motorcars, igniting a lifelong passion for speed. Growing up in rural France, she is fiercely independent, drawn to movement and risk.

By her early twenties, Hélène is a rising star in Parisian cabarets, performing under the stage name Hellé Nice. Her dance is not just art but rebellion—a way to command attention and transcend limitations. She forges a deep bond with artist René Carrère and, later, a passionate romance with aviator and racing driver Henri de Courcelles. Henri introduces her to the world of motorsport, recognising in Hellé the same hunger for freedom and transcendence that drives him.

Hellé’s transition from dancer to racer is marked by relentless ambition and defiance of gender norms. After Henri’s tragic death in a racing accident—a loss that devastates but does not break her—Hellé channels her grief into physical and emotional endurance. A montage shows her pushing herself to the brink: dancing, climbing, training, and finally, racing.

A catastrophic skiing accident nearly ends her career, but Hellé’s indomitable spirit prevails. With the support of loyal mechanic Mongin, she rehabilitates herself and sets her sights on a professional racing career. Facing scepticism and chauvinism, she earns a coveted place at Bugatti, impressing both the legendary Ettore and Jean Bugatti with her technical insight and raw speed.

Hellé’s rise is meteoric: she shatters the women’s land speed record, conquers European circuits, and becomes a sensation in America. Her fame is both a tool and a weapon—she uses it to claim space in a male-dominated world, but it also makes her vulnerable to scandal and exploitation.

At the height of her career, Hellé’s triumphs are shadowed by personal and political storms. In Brazil, a horrific crash nearly kills her and claims others’ lives. She survives, but the incident marks a turning point—her body is battered, and the racing world’s adulation is fickle.

The late 1930s and World War II bring further upheaval. As the world changes, Hellé’s celebrity fades. She faces public suspicion and betrayal—accused of collaboration, shunned by former friends and rivals, notably Louis Chiron, who delivers a public and devastating rebuke. Her resilience turns inward; she is forced to confront the cost of her ambition and the loneliness of being a pioneer.

The film’s final act is elegiac. Hellé, now ageing and impoverished, reflects on her life’s arc—her loves, losses, and the fleeting nature of fame. A montage of memories—her first dance, Henri’s smile, the roar of engines, the taste of victory—contrasts with her present: anonymous, driving a taxi, her name forgotten.

Yet, even in obscurity, Hellé’s spirit endures. The film closes with her alone, eyes shining with undiminished fire, as archival text honours her achievements: prima ballerina, record-setting racer, survivor. Though the world neglected to inscribe her name in stone, Hellé asserts her place in history—not just as the fastest woman of her era, but as a symbol of fearless defiance and unyielding will.

Hellé is a story of transformation, resilience, and the relentless pursuit of freedom. It follows the classic hero’s journey—inciting incident, rising action, ordeal, and return—while weaving character and plot into an emotionally resonant tapestry. The screenplay’s structure, as outlined in “Save the Cat!”, delivers clear beats: setup, catalyst, debate, midpoint, and all-is-lost, culminating in a bittersweet resolution that honours both the cost and the glory of an extraordinary life