The Midwife (2017)

Claire is a wonderfully gifted midwife, with a natural talent to deliver babies with the most gentle touch. One day she receives a strange phone call. Béatrice, the extravagant mistress of her deceased father, wants to see her again.

Director:

Martin Provost

Writers:

Martin Provost (dialogue), Martin Provost (screenplay)

Stars:

Catherine Deneuve, Catherine Frot, Olivier Gourmet

1 win & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Catherine Deneuve	...	Béatrice Sobo
Catherine Frot	...	Claire Breton
Olivier Gourmet	...	Paul Baron
Quentin Dolmaire	...	Simon
Mylène Demongeot	...	Rolande
Pauline Etienne	...	Cécile Amado - une patiente
Audrey Dana	...	La chef de service hôpital moderne
Pauline Parigot	...	Lucie
Marie Gili-Pierre	...	Evelyne
Jeanne Rosa	...	Élodie
Élise Oppong	...	Sophie
Ingrid Heiderscheidt	...	Hôtesse d'accueil maternité
Jacques Mechelany	...	Francis
Ana Rodriguez	...	Patiente bébé cordon
Karidja Touré	...	Patiente Madame Naja

Storyline

Claire is a midwife in a maternity hospital. She is humane and helpful and gives herself entirely to her patients. But despite that her life is not a bed of roses. Her hospital is about to close its doors and the devoted woman is determined not to work in the new modern hospital she regards as a "baby factory". Her personal life is no triumph either: she is single and does not make friends easily. To make matters worse, her student son Simon is gradually leaving home, as he is developing a relationship with his new sweetheart Lucie. It is the moment that Béatrice, her dead father's former mistress, chooses to resurface. The eccentric, spendthrift, sensual, amoral woman (Claire's exact opposite in fact) is really the last kind of person she needs to mix with. But Béatrice soon informs her that she suffers from brain cancer and she has nobody else to turn to. Torn between rejection and duty, what is Claire going to do?

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Plot Keywords:

hospital | midwife | brain cancer | bicycle | pregnancy | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

Unrated

Did You Know?

Trivia

Claire tells Beatrice she is 49; Beatrice replies that she always looked older than she actually was. In reality, Catherine Frot, who plays Claire, turned 60 during filming.

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Crazy Credits

The title on screen first appears as "Sage-Femme" before the dash fading away to leave "Sage Femme". This makes a wordplay in French, the title going from "Midwife" ("Sage-Femme") to "Wise Woman" ("Sage Femme").

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Connections

Referenced in Breakfast: Episode dated 8 July 2017 (2017)

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Soundtracks

Les loups sont entrés dans Paris
Written by Albert Vidalie and Louis Bessières
Performed by Serge Reggiani

User Reviews

Breathtaking!

Frot and Deneuve are magical together. The acting is sublime.

Details

Official Sites:

Lumière [Belgium] Memento Films [France]

Country:

France Belgium

Language:

French

Release Date:

21 July 2017 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Midwife

Filming Locations:

Paris, France

Box Office

Budget:

EUR6,789,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$21,341, 23 July 2017

Gross USA:

$603,582

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$7,286,136

Company Credits

Production Co:

Curiosa Films, France 3 Cinéma, Versus Production

Technical Specs

Runtime:

117 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1