Une affaire de femmes is a French film first released in 1988, directed by Claude Chabrol.  The film is based on a novel by Francis Szpiner and stars Isabelle Huppert, François Cluzet, Nils Tavernier, Marie Trintignant and Lolita Chammah.  It has also been released under the title: Story of Women.  Our overall rating for this film is: very good.


During the Nazi occupation of France, a young woman, Marie, provides an abortion service for pregnant women who are single or whose husbands are away from home.  She keeps this a secret from her husband, using the money to help out a prostitute friend, Lulu, and also to pay for singing lessons.  Marie has ambitions of becoming a great singer one day.  Unable to love her husband, Marie has an affair with a younger man.  When he discovers his wife’s infidelity, her husband inflicts a cruel revenge on Marie which leads to an unexpectedly tragic outcome....

This is another fine film from one of France’s most popular and prolific directors, Claude Chabrol.  It is a film that has the mood and feel of the deceptively simple thrillers for which Chabrol is better known.  However, because it is set during perhaps the most controversial and bitter periods of recent French history, the film makes a strong political comment and it is this which gives the film its momentum and impact.

Typically for Chabrol, the film’s central character, Marie, is an ambiguous figure.  True, by helping women to abort unwanted pregnancies at a time of great penury, Marie is providing a valuable service.  However, we also see the downside: some of her attempted abortions result in greater suffering, sometimes death, and the morality of killing an unborn child is raised.  Marie takes the money she is offered and uses it for somewhat dubious purposes.  Yet, ultimately, the film comes down on her side.  She is revealed to be the innocent, a victim of a system which is unequivocally wicked, in contrast to her mere amorality.

The self-righteousness and unashamed cowardice of the Vichy régime is clearly the villain of the piece.  At a time when women are subject to rape and  forced into prostitution – which the state does nothing about (probably because it would upset the German overlords) – the same state brutally condemns those who practice abortion under a sham of moral rectitude.  The hypocrasy of the Vichy régime is hardly an original subject for the cinema, but this film does tackle the issue from an unusual angle and does it with great humanity and effect.

It is also worth adding that the film is a real triumph for Isabelle Huppert.  Her portrayal of Marie is deeply moving and probably her most memorable screen performance to date.  Most of the emotional impact of the film in its last few minutes derives from a very creditable piece of acting on her part.

© James Travers 2001

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