A brilliant re-telling of Guy de Maupassant’s classic story
A WOMAN’S LIFE

A film by Stéphane Brizé
Cast: Judith Chemla, Jean-Pierre Darroussin, Yolande Moreau

France | 2016 | 119 min. | Drama | Not Rated
French with English subtitles

Upon finishing her schooling in a convent, young aristocrat Jeanne (Cesar Awards nominee Judith Chemla) marries Viscount Julien de Lamare (Swann Arlaud), who soon reveals himself to be unfaithful husband. As she navigates his chronic infidelity, pressure from her family and community, and the alternating joys and burdens of motherhood, Jeanne’s rosy illusions about her privileged world are slowly stripped away. French filmmaker Stéphane Brizé’s follow-up to his Cannes and César Award winner The Measure of a Man (also shown at MDC’s Tower Theater) is a tightly composed work that perfectly translates de Maupassant’s  classic novel  Une Vie, a tale of love embedded in the restrictive social and moral codes of marriage and family in 19th century Normandy.

Screenplay: Stéphane Brizé, Florence Vignon
Producer(s): Miléna Poylo, Gilles Saputo
Cinematography: Antoine Héberlé
Editing: Anne Klotz

2016 Venice Film Festival: Won, FIPRESCI Award
2016 Prix Louis Delluc: Won, Best Film
Stéphane Brizé2017 Cesar Awards, France: Nominated, Best Actress (Judith Chemla), Best Costume Design
2017 Lumière Awards, France: Nominated, Best Film, Best Director, Best Actress (Judith Chemla), Best Cinematography

“By the film’s end, audiences will feel as if they’ve seen one of the rare visualizations of a 19th-century novel that doesn’t merely follow a plot but captures depth of character.” – Jay Weissberg, Variety | full review

“Judith Chemla is a perfect choice for the lead.” – Dan Fainaru, Screen Daily | full review

“There could never be too many movies like this one… Haunting and Profound.” – A. O. Scott. New York Times

“Maupassant would be proud.” -  Candice Tan | The Reel Word  | full review