harley weir's

five women

Across five cities in five countries, Harley Weir captures five creative women at different stages of their young lives, each inspired by the complex characteristics of CHANEL Nº5.

Watch the trailer below

In Paris, she finds the young actress Oulaya Amamra, whose strength and grace have guided her from the apartment she shares with her mother to the movie sets where she immerses herself in every character she plays.

Harley enters into photographer Momo Okabe’s technicolour vision of Tokyo next and considers the way in which we create our identities, as she meets the subjects of Momo’s photobooks whose transforming bodies were first documented at the bars and backstreets Harley now encounters here.

The poet Zariya Allen then takes her on a journey of youthful self-expression and teenage desire, to the highways and beaches of Los Angeles whose rhythms guide her words.

In Johannesburg, South Africa, dancer Manthe Ribane shares her powerful story of a young woman on the journey of finding herself, alongside her brother and sister, as she is driven to create an echo of positivity with every step and offer hope to a community that has given shape to her dreams.

And finally, Harley experiences Berlin through the extraordinary perspective of artist Christine Sun Kim, uncovering the deep and profound way in which our senses work together to make meaning of the world.

N°1
Chapter
Strength

Oulaya Amamra

The Daughter of a Warrior
Actress, Paris

Whether she’s at home with her family or at the gym training for her next role, Oulaya encapsulates the complexity of femininity: equal parts delicate and strong. She immerses herself in every role she plays, each one imbued with memories and mementos of her own life.

N°2
Chapter
Identity

Momo Okabe

The Documentary Of Flesh & Blood
Photographer, Tokyo

We meet photographer Momo in Tokyo on the day of her wedding, later encountering the city and its inhabitants amongst Shinjuku’s quiet gay scene – some of whom are former subjects from her photobooks – as she looks ahead in her continued quest to better understand the skin we live in.

N°3
Chapter
Desire

Zariya Allen

There’s Nothing More Woman Than Making a Whole Ocean Move
Poet, Los Angeles

Zariya’s poems are provocative musings on love, lust and longing: little insights into the mind of a young woman on the cusp of adulthood as she continues to figure out her place in the world.

N°4
Chapter
Drive

Manthe Ribane

Don’t Be Five Minutes Be Timeless
Dancer, Johannesburg

Manthe’s is a story of constant movement. As a dancer and as a young woman in South Africa driven with ambition and ideas, she works closely with her siblings to create performances that will honour the memory of their parents and inspire the children of their neighbourhood to keep going forward.

N°5
Chapter
Depth

Christine Sun Kim

This Is How I See Music Inside My Head
Artist, Berlin

Artist Christine Sun Kim’s world is powered by a depth and point of view that is unlike anyone else’s. Born deaf, Christine creates work that asks viewers to think about sound itself not simply as something we physically hear, but as an idea.

Behind the scenes

Episode 2