Nathalie... (2003)

Nathalie is the name a Parisian prostitute assumes for a special mission or "private investigation." She is engaged in this unusual and secretive task by a professional, upper-middle-class ... See full summary »

Director:

Anne Fontaine

Writers:

Philippe Blasband (original idea), Jacques Fieschi,

Stars:

Fanny Ardant, Emmanuelle Béart, Gérard Depardieu

2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Fanny Ardant	...	Catherine
Emmanuelle Béart	...	Nathalie / Marlène
Gérard Depardieu	...	Bernard
Wladimir Yordanoff	...	François
Judith Magre	...	La mère de Catherine
Rodolphe Pauly	...	Le fils
Évelyne Dandry	...	La patronne du bar
Ari Boulogne	...	L'homme d'un soir (as Ari Päffgen)
Aurore Auteuil	...	La patiente de Catherine
Idit Cebula	...	Ghislaine
Sasha Rucavina	...	Marianne (as Sacha Rukavina)
Macha Polikarpova	...	Ingrid
Marie Adam	...	La secrétaire médicale
Sophie Séfériadès	...	Une autre patiente
Serge Onteniente	...	L'agent immobilier (as Serge Onteniente-Boutleroff)

Storyline

Nathalie is the name a Parisian prostitute assumes for a special mission or "private investigation." She is engaged in this unusual and secretive task by a professional, upper-middle-class wife who fears that her husband is unfaithful to her. Nathalie has to seduce the clueless husband and regularly report all details of her relationship with him, including his most intimate sexual preferences in bed. Nathalie is stunning, charming, and cunning. Can Nathalie and her reports to the mistrustful wife be trusted? Is the middle aged husband indeed unfaithful?

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Plot Keywords:

prostitute | sex | cell phone | gynecologist | father son relationship | 

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Taglines:

Can you ever control another person's sexuality?

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Genres:

Drama

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Details

Official Sites:

KOCH Lorber Films

Country:

France Spain

Language:

French

Release Date:

7 January 2004 (France)

Also Known As:

Nathalie X

Filming Locations:

France

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$10,351 (USA) (14 April 2006)

Gross:

$20,838 (USA) (5 May 2006)

Company Credits

Production Co:

France 2 Cinéma, DD Productions, Vértigo Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

106 min 100 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Quotes

Catherine: Jealousy, for men, it's a reflex!

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Connections

References Analyze That (2002)

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Soundtracks

"Good Looking Blues"
Written by Guy Fixsen and Margaret Fiedler
Performed by Laika
Published by Chrysalis Music Ltd

User Reviews

Nathalie... (2003)

Although you should never really judge a film by its poster/DVD cover, it's hard not to when the poster in question has Emmanuelle Beart looking very saucy and beautiful indeed. The film centres around a failing marriage, mainly from the wife's perspective as she hires a prostitute for her husband and get the low down on his filthy little sexual fantasies. Despite this sordid little set up the film is charmingly refrains itself from gratuitous erotic scenes by only having descriptions of the acts that go on. This results in a very 'talky' film, but still a very steamy and effective one. Ardant leads the film, and manages to give an effective performance as a rejected wife in a passionless marriage, although at some points during the film the audience is left to contemplate her motives, and what exactly she is hoping to achieve from this experiment. Beart, is the real star, not only because she is stunning and makes it impossible to look away from the film, but she also offers a complex character, who is creating a complex character for herself within the film. At times she seems strong and in charge, and sometimes she comes across as weak and insecure. The slow and subtle way the bizarre friendship between the two leads evolves is well handled by director Anne Fontaine. The slow pace of the film is also a delight as it perfectly presents the flow of the marriage itself. Gerard Depardieu isn't used enough, we never get to know the character, and characters opinions contradict what we see of him. However since the film is told from the wife's perspective, this is understandable. Paris is represented with the usual busy streets and coffee shops with small apartments, but this is certainly not a film about locale. Overall the film is a joy to look at, and very well made. An underrated gem to sit down with on a quiet afternoon.