The Woman Next Door (1981)

Two ex-lovers wind up living next door to each other with their respective spouses. Forbidden passions ensue.

Director:

François Truffaut

Writers:

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

Stars:

Gérard Depardieu, Fanny Ardant, Henri Garcin

2 wins & 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:

extramarital affair | adultery | cheat on wife | hand up skirt | lift skirt | 

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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

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Fujicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The movie Bernard is talking about during the first meeting with Odile Jouve is Tod Browning's The Unknown (1927).

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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

Featured in François Truffaut: Portraits volés (1993)

User Reviews

Neither with You, Nor without You

In Grenoble, Bernard Coudray (Gérard Depardieu) and his wife Arlette Coudray (Michèle Baumgartner) are happily married with their son Thomas. When the next door house is rented to the flight controller Philippe Bauchard (Henri Garcin) and his wife Mathilde Bauchard (Fanny Ardant), Arlette invites the couple for a dinner party but Bernard avoids Mathilde. When they meet each other in the supermarket, they recall their love affair that traumatically ended eight years ago. However their love rekindles and they meet each other in a hotel room. But once together again, they have a stormy affair that ends again with tragic consequences.

"La femme d'à côté", a.k.a. "The Woman Next Door", is a tragic and powerful romance by François Truffaut with the love story of a stormy couple reunited again after eight years by chance but that cannot be together. The performances are magnificent and the conclusion is predictable. The final quote of the narrator Madame Odile Jouve for their epitaph is perfect ("Neither with you, nor without you."). My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "A Mulher do Lado" ("The Woman Next Door")