Moulin Rouge! (2001)

Moulin Rouge! (2001) is a dazzling, tragic musical set in fin-de-siècle Paris. Young English writer Christian arrives in 1899 Montmartre and is swept into the Bohemian world of artists, dreamers and performers who live by the motto “truth, beauty, freedom, and — above all — love.” At the heart of the Moulin Rouge nightclub is Satine, the celebrated courtesan and star whose ambition to become a legitimate actress clashes with the club’s need for a rich patron. When Christian and Satine fall passionately in love, their romance sparks a dangerous triangle with the club’s wealthy protector, the possessive Duke, and threatens the fragile plans that keep the Moulin Rouge afloat. The film combines a feverish, hyper-stylized visual world with contemporary pop and theatrical songs reimagined as show tunes, bold choreography, and extravagant sets and costumes. It’s a collision of spectacle and intimacy: big production numbers and nightclub excess sit alongside tender, vulnerable moments between the lovers. The stakes are heartbreakingly real — Satine is hiding a fatal illness — so the story moves from exhilarating and playful to desperate and tragic. If you watch Moulin Rouge!, expect to be swept up in a sensory onslaught: bright, fast-cut cinematography, emotionally charged performances, and a soundtrack that blends familiar hits into an operatic love story. It’s at once romantic, playful, and devastating — an emotional roller coaster that celebrates the power of art and love even as it confronts loss and the costs of compromise.

Actors: Nicole Kidman, Ewan McGregor, John Leguizamo

Director: Baz Luhrmann

Runtime: 127 min

Genres: Drama, Musical, Romance

66 /100 7.6 /10 7.1 /10