Gilles' Wife (La Femme de Gilles) (2004)

82% of critics liked it
(22 reviews)
73% of users liked it
(511 ratings)

A woman struggles to hold on to the man she loves in this drama set in the 1930s from Belgian filmmaker Frédéric Fonteyne. Elisa (Emmanuelle Devos) is a housewife who is passionately devoted to her husband, Gilles (Clovis Cornillac), who works in a steel mill. Despite taking care of twin daughters… More A woman struggles to hold on to the man she loves in this drama set in the 1930s from Belgian filmmaker Frédéric Fonteyne. Elisa (Emmanuelle Devos) is a housewife who is passionately devoted to her husband, Gilles (Clovis Cornillac), who works in a steel mill. Despite taking care of twin daughters and unfailingly seeing to the cooking and cleaning in their home, Elisa is as adoring of Gilles as she was on the day they met, and she eagerly tends to his ravenous sexual appetite. However, while most men would be thrilled to have a wife like Elisa, after years of marriage she begins to suspect that he might be having an affair with her sister Victorine (Laura Smet) while Elisa is pregnant with their third child. Elisa is too much in love with Gilles to leave him, but while she can accept her husband's faults, neither she nor her husband are certain if this is a casual fling or a love affair that will put an end to their relationship. La Femme de Gilles (aka Gilles' Wife) was adapted from a novel by Madeleine Bourdouxhe. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 1 hr. 46 min.
Directed By: Frédéric Fonteyne
Written By: Philippe Blasband
Genres: Art House & International, Drama

In Theaters: Nov 16, 2005 Limited
On DVD: Aug 8, 2006
Studio: Mars Distribution

Critic Reviews

Terry Lawson, Detroit Free Press
Easy to fall into, courtesy of the inviting, autumnal cinematography of Virginie Saint-Martin and the persuasive, committed and sensual performance of the title character, played by Emmanuelle Devos.
Lisa Nesselson, Variety
Told primarily via body language and facial expressions with a minimum of dialogue, beautifully observed, emotionally intense tale is an ambitious and rewarding outing for Frederic Fonteyne.
Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel
Gilles' Wife is a disquieting film of frustrating subtlety. But Devos is a compelling presence at the heart of it. She, and the scenery that is her backdrop, make it worth the three espressos you'll need to drink to stay awake through it all.
Michael Wilmington, Chicago Tribune
Like those '30 classics it suggests, Gilles' Wife seduces us with true cinematic magic: rich characters, great acting and that rapturous old French blend of realism and theatricality.
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
I was fascinated by the face of Emmanuelle Devos, and her face is specifically why I recommend the movie.
Frank Scheck, Hollywood Reporter
Fonteyne invests the material with a minimalist but powerful tension, and cinematographer Virginie Saint-Martin provides one beautifully composed visual after another.
Doris Toumarkine, Film Journal International
A small, perfect storm of beautiful components brought together by Fonteyne and his team.
Cherryl Dawson and Leigh Ann Palone, TheMovieChicks.com
It's a French love story that's tragic (is there any other kind), but it does make you glad you're not in the middle of this menage a misery. It's definitely worth a look.
Josh Bell, Las Vegas Weekly
While Devos provides a striking depth of emotion as Elisa, her skills aren't quite enough to keep the movie from feeling cold and distant.
Ella Taylor, L.A. Weekly
Were Hitchcock alive, he'd surely claim the ripe and faintly sinister Devos as his muse.
Luke Y. Thompson, New Times
...there are copious rewards for the viewer who can let things unfold as they must.
Jules Brenner, Cinema Signals
It comes off as reaching too far for originality, a sense that is only tied up with a ribbon by a completely dumb and desperate twist ending.
Steve Schneider, Orlando Weekly
Somehow, the plot remains emotionally coherent -- involving, even -- amid a minimum of dialogue.

Read all 13 critic reviews

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Walter M

[font=Century Gothic]In "Gilles' Wife", Elisa(Emmanuelle Devos) is a housewife married to Gilles(Clovis Cornillac), a burly factory worker, and mother to two children, with a third one on the way. Her life is a happy one until she begins to suspect that Gilles is… More
[font=Century Gothic]In "Gilles' Wife", Elisa(Emmanuelle Devos) is a housewife married to Gilles(Clovis Cornillac), a burly factory worker, and mother to two children, with a third one on the way. Her life is a happy one until she begins to suspect that Gilles is having an affair, even following him out into the snow one night. To make matters worse, it appears Elisa's younger sister, Victorine(Laura Smet), might be involved...[/font] [font=Century Gothic][/font] [font=Century Gothic]"Gilles' Wife" is about how marriage can be a prison for a woman, especially at the time this movie is set which is probably the 1930's.(Take note of the title's possessive. Everybody's read "The Handmaid's Tale", right?) The movie is glacially paced, but interspersed with sudden explosions, almost as if it is more interested in establishing a story, rather than telling one. The events are seen entirely through Elisa's eyes and Emmanuelle Devos' enigmatic performance betrays little of her thoughts. [/font]