“Comme un garçon,” “J’ai un problème,” and “Qu’est-ce qui fait pleurer les blondes?”… Sylvie Vartan, an iconic figure in French music with an extraordinary life story, opens up like never before in this intimate documentary directed by the excellent Augustin Trapenard.

The daughter of a Bulgarian diplomat of Armenian origin and a mother of Hungarian origin, Sylvie Georges Vartanian, born in Iskretz near Sofia in Bulgaria, has left her mark on generations in France and internationally (Germany, Japan, Italy, etc.). At the age of 81, this icon of French pop music gave her final concerts last January, entitled “Je tire ma révérence” (I bow out), at the Palais des Congrès in Paris, to mark the end of her stage career. In this emotionally charged film, Sylvie Vartan opens up candidly to Augustin Trapenard from her home. Her intimate confidences are accompanied by previously unseen archive footage.

Her story is that of a Bulgarian child forced into exile with her parents following the Soviet army’s invasion of her country. But her lucky star was there to guide her towards a destiny marked by success and records. Sixty-three years later, that success continues unabated. She has recorded nearly fifty albums, sold forty million records, and appeared on more than two thousand magazine covers. Sylvie Vartan is a true star.

At the age of 16, launched by her brother Eddy, also in the music business, she was one of the first major singers of the yéyé movement in France in the 1960s. Alongside Johnny Hallyday, her future husband, she became the spearhead of an explosive youth movement. Her path was paved with drama and twists of fate, which she faced relentlessly, always returning to the stage. Tirelessly, the artist reinvented herself, moving from rock to international pop, driven by an iron determination.

To tell the story of Sylvie Vartan is to tell the story of France during the Trente Glorieuses, the sexual revolution, and the invention of youth. A fashion icon, she anticipates and invents trends, and her sophisticated, androgynous looks remain a model of style and character to this day. At a time when young people are reclaiming her music on social media, Sylvie Vartan appears more than ever to be an icon of popular culture.