''The Woman Next Door'' () is a 1981 French romantic drama film directed by François Truffaut. Reminiscent of the medieval legend of

Tristan and Iseult Tristan and Iseult, also known as Tristan and Isolde and other names, is a medieval chivalric romance told in numerous variations since the 12th century. Based on a Celtic legend and possibly other sources, the tale is a tragedy about the illic ...

but set among young middle-class people in a provincial city, it tells the story of a fatal romance between a loving husband ( Gérard Depardieu) and the attractive woman (

Fanny Ardant Fanny Marguerite Judith Ardant (born 22 March 1949) is a French actress and film director. She is the recipient of numerous accolades, including two César Awards and a Lumières Award. Early life Ardant was born in Saumur, Maine-et-Loire, ...

) who moves in next door. The last of Truffaut's serious films, being followed by the more light-hearted '' Vivement dimanche!'', it was the 39th highest-grossing film of the year, with a total of 1,087,600 admissions in France.''La Femme d'à côté''
at JP's Box-Office.

Plot

Bernard lives happily with his wife Arlette and young son Thomas in a village outside

Grenoble lat, Gratianopolis , commune status = Prefecture and commune , image = Panorama grenoble.png , image size = , caption = From upper left: Panorama of the city, Grenoble’s cable cars, place Saint- ...

. One day a married couple, Philippe and Mathilde, move into the house next door. Bernard and Mathilde are shocked at meeting each other because years before, when both single, they had a stormy affair that ended painfully. At first Bernard avoids Mathilde, until a chance meeting in a supermarket reawakens long-buried passions and soon, while openly good neighbours, in secret they pursue an affair. Though both find the strain of living their normal family and working lives unbearable, it is Bernard who cracks first. After publicly revealing his violent passion for Mathilde at a garden party, he keeps away from her and the two households try to get on with their lives. But the rejected Mathilde then cracks and, after publicly collapsing at the tennis club, is hospitalised with depression. When she is released, she finds that to get far away from Bernard her husband has moved them out of the village. One night Bernard is woken by a banging shutter on the empty house next door and gets up to investigate. In the house, he spots Mathilde in the darkness. After they have made love on the bare floor, taking a gun out of her handbag she shoots first him and then herself.

Cast

* Gérard Depardieu as Bernard Coudray *

as Mathilde Bauchard *

Henri Garcin Henri Garcin (born Anton Albers; 11 April 1928 – 13 June 2022) was a Belgian film actor. He appeared in more than 100 films from 1956 to 2022. Selected filmography * ''Mademoiselle and Her Gang'' (1957) * '' Mata Hari, Agent H21'' (1964) * ' ...

as Philippe Bauchard * as Arlette Coudray * as Roland Duguet *

Véronique Silver Véronique Silver (September 2, 1931 – July 24, 2010) was a French actress.

as Madame Odile Jouve * Philippe Morier-Genoud as doctor * Olivier Becquaert as Thomas CoudrayAllen, Don. ''Finally Truffaut''. New York: Beaufort Books. 1985. . . pp. 239.

References

External links

* * * 1981 films 1981 romantic drama films 1980s French-language films Adultery in films Films directed by François Truffaut Films scored by Georges Delerue Films set in France Films shot in Isère Films with screenplays by François Truffaut French romantic drama films TF1 Films Production films 1980s French films {{1980s-France-film-stub