''Bernadette'' is a 2023 French biographical comedy film co-written and directed by Léa Domenach in her directorial debut. The film stars Catherine Deneuve in title role of Bernadette Chirac, French politician and the widow of the former president

Jacques Chirac Jacques René Chirac (, , ; 29 November 193226 September 2019) was a French politician who served as President of France from 1995 to 2007. Chirac was previously Prime Minister of France from 1974 to 1976 and from 1986 to 1988, as well as Ma ...

, with

Denis Podalydès Denis Podalydès (born 22 April 1963) is a French actor and scriptwriter of Greek descent. Podalydès has appeared in more than 140 films and television shows since 1989. He starred in '' The Officers' Ward'', which was entered into the 2001 Can ...

Michel Vuillermoz Michel Vuillermoz (born 18 December 1962) is a French actor and scriptwriter. Vuillermoz has appeared in more than 100 films and 40 plays. In 1998, he received two Molière Award: Best Male Newcomer and Best Play for ''André le Magnifique''. ...

and Sara Giraudeau in pivotal roles. It was released on 4 October 2023 in cinemas in France by

Warner Bros. Pictures Warner Bros. Pictures is an American film production and distribution company of the Warner Bros. Pictures Group division of Warner Bros. Entertainment (both ultimately owned by Warner Bros. Discovery). The studio is the flagship producer of liv ...

Synopsis

The film follows Bernadette Chirac (Catherine Deneuve), during the two presidential mandates of her husband, Jacques Chirac (Michel Vuillermoz), that is to say from 1995, until the election of Nicolas Sarkozy in 2007.

Cast

* Catherine Deneuve as Bernadette Chirac *

as Bernard Niquet *

* Sara Giraudeau as

Claude Chirac Claude Chirac, (born 6 December 1962) is the youngest daughter of French president Jacques Chirac and was her father's personal advisor from 1994 until his death in 2019. Biography Chirac is the director of communication at PRTP.PA which is ...

Laurent Stocker Laurent Stocker (born 27 May 1973) is a French theatre and cinema actor, and a sociétaire of the Comédie-Française. Life and career He trained at the Ateliers Gérard Philipe and the Conservatoire national supérieur d'art dramatique fr ...

Nicolas Sarkozy Nicolas Paul Stéphane Sarközy de Nagy-Bocsa (; ; born 28 January 1955) is a French politician who served as President of France from 2007 to 2012. Born in Paris, he is of Hungarian, Greek Jewish, and French origin. Mayor of Neuilly-sur-Se ...

* François Vincentelli as Dominique de Villepin *

Lionel Abelanski Lionel Abelanski (born 22 October 1964) is a French actor. Life and career Abelanski was born in Paris, France. He has appeared in television and film roles since 1989. In 1999 he was nominated for the César Award for Most Promising Actor Th ...

as Yvon Molinier, the driver *

Victor Artus Solaro Artus (born Victor Artus Solaro) is a French actor and humorist. Filmography Theater One Man Show * 2010: ''C'était bien quand je serai p'tit'' * 2011: ''Va jouer sur l’autoroute'' * 2012-13: ''De A à S'' * 2014: ''Al Dente'' * 2015-16: ...

as David Douillet * Scali Delpeyrat as Jacky-Pierre *

Barbara Schulz Barbara Schulz is a French actress who won the Prix Suzanne Bianchetti in 2001. She was nominated for the César Award for Most Promising Actress for the 1999 film ''La Dilettante''. For her performances on the stage, Schulz has been nominated ...

as Aurora * Vincent Primault as Xavier Bertrand * Olivier Balazuc as Alain *

Maud Wyler Maud Wyler (born 14 December 1982) is a French actress. She appeared in more than thirty films since 2009. Selected filmography References External links * 1982 births Living people French film actresses 21st-century French actres ...

as Laurence Chirac * Jacky Nercessian as Father Mouret * Olivier Breitman as

Karl Lagerfeld Karl Otto Lagerfeld (; 10 September 1933 – 19 February 2019) was a German fashion designer, creative director, artist and photographer. He was known as the creative director of the French fashion house Chanel, a position held from 1983 ...

* Patrick Paroux as Master Grundmann * Aloïs Menu as the wine merchant at the market * Stéphane Boucher as the

Val-de-Grâce The (' or ') was a military hospital located at in the 5th arrondissement of Paris, France. It was closed as a hospital in 2016. History The church of the was built by order of Queen Anne of Austria, wife of Louis XIII. After the birth of h ...

doctor

Production

In April 2022, it was announced that Catherine Deneuve will play Bernadette Chirac in a biographical film entitled ''La Tortue''. This is the first feature film directed by Léa Domenach. Filming began on 25 April 2022 in

Reims Reims ( , , ; also spelled Rheims in English) is the most populous city in the French department of Marne, and the 12th most populous city in France. The city lies northeast of Paris on the Vesle river, a tributary of the Aisne. Founded by ...

Épernay Épernay () is a commune in the Marne department of northern France, 130 km north-east of Paris on the mainline railway to Strasbourg. The town sits on the left bank of the Marne at the extremity of the Cubry valley which crosses it. Éperna ...

, Châlons-en-Champagne and Paris. It was wrapped up on 27 June 2022.

Release

Orange Studio unveiled first footage of the film at the Unifrance Rendez-Vous in Paris in January 2023. The film had its premiere at Helvetia French Film Festival on 17 September 2023. It was released in France and Belgium on 4 October 2023. Later it will be released in Czech Republic on 30 November by Bohemia Motion Pictures. On 17 February 2024, it was announced that Cohen Media Group had acquired the film rights for ''Bernadette'' (retitled ''The President's Wife'') for a North America release.

Reception

Box office

The film topped the first weekend at French box office with the collection of , and 267,041 admissions. the film has collected US$5,936,411 worldwide.

Critical response

On the AlloCiné, which lists 32 press reviews, the film obtained an average rating of 3.4/5. Olivier Pélisson rated the film 4/5 for Bande à part and wrote, "A tasty comedy, Léa Domenach's first feature film is a successful cross between an offbeat biopic and a portrait of a woman who asserts herself." Camille Nevers rated the film with 1/5 and wrote, "The interest of this pochade produced with imperturbable softness by Léa Domenach ..lies in the fact that it is the rare specimen of its time: we have the first officially Macronist film."

Accolades

References

External links

* {{IMDb title 2023 films 2023 drama films 2020s French-language films French biographical films 2020s French films Films shot in Paris Films shot in Reims Biographical films about politicians 2023 directorial debut films Warner Bros. films