It stars Kate Winslet, Matthias Schoenaerts, Rickman, Stanley Tucci, Helen McCrory, Steven Waddington, Jennifer Ehle and Rupert Penry-Jones.

King Louis XIV of France assigns the design and construction of the Gardens of Versailles to his head landscape architect André Le Nôtre.

Already overwhelmed, managing numerous large-scale projects, Le Nôtre interviews several other landscape designers to whom he might be able to delegate some of the work.

Sabine affirms her respect for landscape order, but when pressed suggests that she would rather create something uniquely French than follow classical and Renaissance styles.

André surprises Sabine at her home that evening, and after admiring her seemingly untamed but magical garden, assigns to her the outdoor bosquet ballroom project at Versailles, which combines fountains and landscaping.

Stunned at the loss of his wife, the King takes refuge in the gardens at the Château de Marly, among the pear trees.

Back at the Versailles garden site, Françoise confronts Sabine, and states that André's interest in her is transient and won't last.

Later that night, Françoise's lover, at her request, opens the reservoir's sluice gates during a powerful storm, flooding the worksite and destroying much of the earthworks.

Conversing about the nature of roses and their life cycle, beauty, hardships, and death, Sabine metaphorically defends Madame de Montespan, who has begun to lose the King's favor.

At the inauguration of Sabine's completed bosquet garden, the King and his court arrive and dance to the music of a hidden orchestra, as the fountains send water coursing down the tiers around the outdoor ballroom floor.

[15] According to Rickman, filming "wasn't easy, though; throwing Kate into freezing water at 1 a.m., the carriage crash, scenes with 80 extras, tight schedules in venues like Blenheim Palace.

[1] Veigar Margeirsson's 2008 composition "Rise above" was used in the trailer of the film but was not part of soundtrack album,[18] which was released by Milan Records on 16 April 2015.

[33] Focus Features finally gave the film a simultaneous theatrical and VOD release in United States on 26 June 2015.

The site's consensus states that "Stylish and well-acted without ever living up to its dramatic potential, A Little Chaos is shouldered by the impressive efforts of a talented cast.

[36] Catherine Shoard of The Guardian gave the film two out of five stars and wrote that "Winslet manages emotional honesty within anachronistic confines, and Schoenaerts escapes with dignity.

"[37] Mark Adams in his review for Screen International said, "the film is a gracefully made delight, replete with lush costumes, fruity performances, love amongst the flowerbeds and even a little mild peril.

Yes it lacks real dramatic edge and may be seen as a typical British period costume film, but it is also a classily made pleasure that will delight its target audience.

"[39] Tim Robey in writing for The Telegraph said in his review: "If you see only one film about 17th-century French landscape gardening this year, it probably ought to be A Little Chaos, a heaving bouquet of a picture.

"[40] David Sexton of the London Evening Standard gave the film a negative review, saying that "Kate Winslet charms as a gardener at the Court of Louis XIV, but it's not enough to keep this inauthentic piece from wilting.

"[41] Dennis Harvey of Variety criticised the film, calling it "all too tidy as it imposes a predictable, pat modern sensibility on a most unconvincing depiction of late 17th-century French aristocratic life.

"[42] Kaleem Aftab of The Independent gave the film two out of five stars, noting that while the performances were exceptional, the talents of the players were wasted.

He wrote that "it all starts off so promisingly" and praised the camera work and language, but found it quickly fails as "a melancholic look at grief" where "at least four different genres [clash] against each other, occasionally in the same scene" and "the romance seems to take place off-screen."