REVIEW: ‘E.1027 — Eileen Gray and the House by the Sea’
Photo: E.1027 — Eileen Gray and the House by the Sea tells the story of a famous property on the French Riviera. Photo courtesy of First Run Features / Provided with permission.
There’s nothing quite like E.1027 — Eileen Gray and the House by the Sea, the new movie from director Beatrice Minger and co-director Christoph Schaub. First off, that title is quite unique, offering up a splash of letters and numbers that may prove confusing to those who don’t know the historic property at the center of the story. Also, there’s the feature itself, which is a drama that is mostly acted by performers, but there’s also a documentary quality to the proceedings, allowing the film to play with genre and form.
Taken together, E.1027 is a unique and uniquely satisfying experience. The movie surrounds the Irish designer Eileen Gray and a house on the French Riviera that she designed and had built, hugging the cliffs and with no other neighbors in sight. The property is unquestionably beautiful, and Gray’s design is like a fingerprint, representing her style and her desires, all coupled nicely with the rocky crag that is her palette.
The year is 1929, and Gray shares the house with her partner Jean Badovici. They laze away the hours, enjoying their new architectural abode, taking in the views of the sea and occasionally going for a dip in the water. Then a third person enters the picture and complicates matters — as third people are known to do. Fellow artist Le Corbusier stops by and begins a slow unraveling of Gray’s vision for the property. He decides to subvert her original intentions, even going so far as painting murals on the white walls without her knowledge. Gray watches day by day as her original dream is shattered, and E.1027 doesn’t feel like home anymore.
The film is ostensibly about Gray and the house, but several deeper themes emerge within these 93 minutes. This is clearly an examination of a 100-year-old world where women faced inequality, and their artistic output was placed secondary to the creations of their male counterparts (sadly this can still be found in 2025). Le Corbusier, at least in this movie, could not simply congratulate Gray and enjoy her architectural choices; he had to think to himself: I can do better.
The cast features Natalie Radmall-Quirke, Axel Moustache and Charles Morillon, with Radmall-Quirke giving a believable and stirring performance as the title character. But the performances are also slightly askew in this movie because there’s that documentary angle as well. The real Gray feels present, and her actual influence and artistic voice can be witnessed throughout the narrative. Not to discount their stellar work, but the actors almost feel like historical reenactors.
E.1027 is a bold movie because it takes a deep dive on characters and a house that may not widely known, at least for American audiences, but what it discovers along the way is truly interesting and engaging. There’s a lot to be said — sadly — on how this story has reverberations in today’s society. But by putting down the facts and allowing the artist’s original vision shine through, Gray finally gets her due credit.
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
E.1027 — Eileen Gray and the House by the Sea (2024). In French and English with English subtitles. Directed by Beatrice Minger and co-directed by Christoph Schaub. Written by Minger in collaboration with Schaub. Starring Natalie Radmall-Quirke, Axel Moustache and Charles Morillon. Running time: 93 minutes. Rating: 
