This enigmatic but ultimately satisfying French drama takes place in a small mining town on the eve of WWII. Although Gilles and his wife Elisa appear to be living a happy life in a lovely home with adorable children, Elisa begins to suspect that Gilles is seeking the company of another woman—who turns out to be her younger sister. Rather than responding with recriminations, Elisa handles the situation with patience, frankness, and uncommon honesty—she is more interested, or at least seems more interested, in finding out why the affair is taking place before determining how to end it. In the title role, Emmanuelle Devos is a hypnotic presence, and Clovis Cornillac's character Gilles is not entirely unsympathetic (it's easy to see why Elisa hopes to mend the frayed relationship rather than abandon it, but at the same time his easygoing demeanor makes his betrayal all the more painful). Frederic Fonteyne's direction is deceptively straightforward, but what Gilles' Wife lacks in highly artistic touches, it more than compensates for with a simply told domestic drama that concludes with a memorable wallop. Highly recommended. [Note: DVD extras include a 27-minute “making-of” featurette, a 24-minute interview featurette (including deleted scenes) with director Frédéric Fonteyne, and trailers. Bottom line: a solid extras package for a fine foreign film.] (P. Hall)
Gilles' Wife
Koch Lorber, 103 min., in French w/English subtitles, not rated, DVD: $29.98, Aug. 8 Volume 21, Issue 5
Gilles' Wife
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