Summary
In the 1930s, Elisa and Gilles make a perfect couple. They
already have two children and a third is on the way. Although
both lead a hard life – Gilles works at a foundry, Elisa is fully
occupied taking care of the family home – they are content. Then,
one day, strange thoughts enter Elisa’s head. She begins to
suspect that Gilles may be having an affair with her younger sister,
Victorine...
Review
A banal subject is handled with great sensitivity and with a strong
sense of the auteur in this
engaging little film from director Frédéric Fonteyne, who
is perhaps best known for his intimate 1999 drama, Une liaison pornographique.
With its simple yet potently elegiac photography and minimalist use of
dialogue, the film takes us into the inner world of a fragile young
woman who senses she may be on the verge of losing the love of her
husband. It’s a subtle and austere film, evocative and poignant,
with a remarkable, intensely introspective, performance from
Emmanuelle Devos. The film has some faults – the static
photography and general sense of inertia does become wearying after a
while, and certain sequences are marred by a twee chocolate box feel
which undermines the film’s realism – but it is, for all that, a
strangely alluring work with a rare poetic character.
© James Travers 2008
Write a review for this film...
© James Travers 2008
Write a review for this film...
User Comments
Useful links
- Best French films of 2011
- Best French films of the 2000s
- Best of the French New Wave
- Best of French film comedy
- The best 100 French films
- The most successful French films
- Great French filmmakers
Related links
- Other French films of the 2000s
- The best French films of the 2000s
- Other French dramas
- The best French dramas
- Biography and films of Frédéric Fonteyne
To buy this film
Check DVD and Blu-ray availability:
Credits
- Director: Frédéric Fonteyne
- Script: Philippe Blasband, Madeleine Bourdouxhe (novel), Frédéric Fonteyne, Marion Hänsel
- Photo: Virginie Saint-Martin
- Music: Vincent D’Hondt
- Cast: Emmanuelle Devos (Elisa), Clovis Cornillac (Gilles), Laura Smet (Victorine), Colette Emmanuelle (La mère d’Élisa), Gil Lagay (Le père d’Élisa), Frédéric Fonteyne (L’ouvrier ami de Gilles), Philippe Jeusette (L’ouvrier moqueur), Patrick Quinet (Maréchal), Virginie Saint-Martin (Martha)
- Country: France
- Language: French
- Runtime: 103 min
- Aka: Gilles’ Wife
Similar films
If you like this film you may also like the following:- À bout portant (2010)
- Amer (2010)
- Caché (2005)
- Dans tes bras (2009)
- De battre mon coeur s’est arrêté (2005)
- La Graine et le mulet (2007)
- Ma saison préférée (1993)
- Merci pour le chocolat (2000)
- Partir (2009)
- Persécution (2009)
- Sans toit ni loi (1985)
- Un monde à nous (2008)
- Welcome (2009)
- White Material (2010)
To buy La Femme de Gilles:

Drama






