Une étrange affaire (1981)

Une étrange affaire is a French film first released in 1981, directed by Pierre Granier-Deferre.  The film is based on a novel by Jean-Marc Roberts and stars Michel Piccoli, Gérard Lanvin, Nathalie Baye, Jean-Pierre Kalfon and Jean-François Balmer.  It has also been released under the title: Strange Affair.  Our overall rating for this film is: good.


Louis Coline works for a department store in the publicity office and has a happy humdrum life, married to Nina and playing cards in the evenings with his friends.  The arrival of a new manager looks set to change all that.  The new manager, Bertrand, immediately shows an unusual familiarity towards Louis.  With no time at all, Louis is drawn into Bertrand’s world, working late, attending dinner parties, going to night clubs.  Then, one evening, Bertrand turns up on Louis’ doorstep and asks if he can spend the night…

A strange film indeed.   By adopting the style if not the substance of a traditional French thriller, this film explores the competing pressures of family and work in modern society.  The story should be familiar to anyone who works for a medium-sized company, where certain employees are prepared, or expected, to ditch their home life to advance their careers.  Fortunately, the story is told in such an unusual way, with such complex characters, that it appears anything but anodyne.

© James Travers 2000

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