The Woman Next Door (1981)
"La femme d'à côté" (original title)

Madame Jouve, the narrator, tells the tragedy of Bernard and Mathilde. Bernard was living happily with his wife Arlette and his son Thomas. One day, a couple, Philippe and Mathilde Bauchard... See full summary »

Director:

François Truffaut

Writers:

François Truffaut (original scenario), Suzanne Schiffman (original scenario),

Stars:

Gérard Depardieu, Fanny Ardant, Henri Garcin

1 win & 4 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Gérard Depardieu	...	Bernard Coudray
Fanny Ardant	...	Mathilde Bauchard
Henri Garcin	...	Philippe Bauchard
Michèle Baumgartner	...	Arlette Coudray
Roger Van Hool	...	Roland Duguet
Véronique Silver	...	Madame Odile Jouve
Philippe Morier-Genoud	...	Doctor
Nicole Vauthier
Muriel Combe
Olivier Becquaert	...	Thomas Coudray

Storyline

Madame Jouve, the narrator, tells the tragedy of Bernard and Mathilde. Bernard was living happily with his wife Arlette and his son Thomas. One day, a couple, Philippe and Mathilde Bauchard, moves into the next house. This is the accidental reunion of Bernard and Mathilde, who had a passionate love affair years ago. The relationship revives... A somber study of human feelings.

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Plot Keywords:

love affair | broken heart | adultery | hotel room | obsessive love | 

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

France

Language:

French

Release Date:

30 September 1981 (France)

Also Known As:

The Woman Next Door

Filming Locations:

Chemin des Batellières, Bernin, Isère, France

Company Credits

Production Co:

Les Films du Carrosse, TF1 Films Production

Technical Specs

Runtime:

106 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Fujicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

François Truffaut decided to write the script of this movie when he saw 'Gerard Depardieu' and Fanny Ardant sit side-by-side at the Cesar's night.

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Quotes

[last lines]
Madame Odile Jouve: I suspect that Mathilde and Bernard won't be buried together. if I had to select an epitaph for them it would be, "Neither with you, nor without you.", but I doubt whether I'll be asked.

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Connections

Referenced in 8 Women (2002)

User Reviews

Sad tale of doomed love

La Femme d'a Cote shows violent emotional state of two melancholic lovers.Truffaut wanted to reveal the extreme steps of frustrated love.It is a brilliant story of passion set in the provincial french town of Grenoble which shows that love is the only thing that is universal.Bernard and Mathilde are truly the perfect lovers Truffaut wished to exploit in his film.There is a sense of urgency in their love affair as in a place where all the people know each other,it is highly improbable that any love affair can remain a secret.La Femme d'a Cote has agreeably given an idea about small town charm wherein Truffaut has vividly portrayed all the minor details of provincial life.Truffaut,while filming La Femme d'a Cote,hoped that the viewer would not be tempted to take sides in order to call one wrong and the other wrong but would love them both as he has loved them.Truffaut will remain the only filmmaker who has mastered the art of human emotions.La Femme d'a Cote gives an impression of an affecting account of human foibles by illustrating how a happy married man sacrifices everything for trivial passion.