Maison Close: Season Two

Paris, 1871. Behind the heavy wooden doors of luxury brothel Paradise, we get a peek of the lives of three women living in a world without protections and trying to escape from servitude. Considered an elite institution, Paradise attracts wealthy and often aristocratic clientele in its plush parlours and pleasure rooms. However, behind its veil of sumptuous temptations, Paradise is strictly guarded and governed by the steel hands of its austere owner Madam Hortense (Valerie Karsenti) whose oppressive rules make her girls constantly seek a way out. Created by Jacques Ouaniche and directed by Mabrouk El Mechri, this racy and captivating costume drama reveals the hidden face of prostitution at the end of the 19th century and reignites the debate surrounding the legalisation of brothels in France.