In the Shadow of Women

In the Shadow of Women
Theatrical release poster
FrenchL'Ombre des femmes
Directed byPhilippe Garrel
Written by
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyRenato Berta
Edited byFrançois Gédigier
Music byJean-Louis Aubert
Production
companies
Distributed by
  • SBS Distribution (France)
  • Adok Films (Switzerland)
Release dates
  • 14 May 2015 (2015-05-14) (Cannes)
  • 27 May 2015 (2015-05-27) (France)
  • 3 June 2015 (2015-06-03) (French-speaking Switzerland)
Running time
73 minutes
Countries
  • France
  • Switzerland[1]
LanguageFrench
Budget€2.4 million[2]
Box office$152,802[3]

In the Shadow of Women (French: L'Ombre des femmes)[4] is a 2015 drama film co-written and directed by Philippe Garrel, starring Clotilde Courau, Stanislas Merhar and Lena Paugam.[5] It is the second installment in Garrel's trilogy of love, the first being Jealousy (2013) and the third being Lover for a Day (2017).[6] The film was selected to open the Directors' Fortnight section of the 2015 Cannes Film Festival.[7]

Synopsis[edit]

Pierre, a filmmaker, is working on a documentary film about the French Resistance. He is married to Manon. However, he encounters Elisabeth, an intern at a film archive, and has an affair with her.

Cast[edit]

Release[edit]

In the Shadow of Women had its world premiere as the opening film of the Directors' Fortnight section of the 2015 Cannes Film Festival on 14 May.[8] The film was released in France on 27 May 2015 by SBS Distribution.[9] It was released by Adok Films in French-speaking Switzerland on 3 June 2015 and in German-speaking Switzerland on 4 August 2016.[10]

Reception[edit]

Critical response[edit]

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 87% based on 38 reviews, with an average score of 7.4/10.[11] On Metacritic, the film received an average score of 74, based on 14 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[12]

Eric Kohn of IndieWire gave the film a grade of B−, saying, "with its luscious 35mm photography and playful depiction of passionate lovers reaching a breaking point, the swift 72-minute drama delivers a satisfying riff on moody, intimate material Garrel has mined to richer effect many times before."[13] Scott Foundas of Variety described it as "a tightly focused romantic drama that exudes the narrative terseness of a good short story and the lucid craftsmanship of a filmmaker in full command of the medium."[1]

Cahiers du cinéma ranked it as the third best film of 2015.[14]

Accolades[edit]

Award Year of ceremony Category Recipient(s) Result Ref(s)
Louis Delluc Prize 2015 Best Film In the Shadow of Women Nominated [15]
Lumières Award 2016 Best Director Philippe Garrel Nominated [16]
Best Actress Clotilde Courau Nominated

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b Foundas, Scott (14 May 2015). "Cannes Film Review: 'In the Shadow of Women'". Variety. Retrieved 27 October 2018.
  2. ^ "L'Ombre des femmes (In the Shadow of Women) (2015)". JP Box-Office (in French).
  3. ^ "In the Shadow of Women (2015)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2 March 2020.
  4. ^ Cox, Gordon (8 May 2015). "Distrib Films U.S. Grabs Cannes Fortnight Opener 'In the Shadow of Women'". Variety. Retrieved 27 October 2018.
  5. ^ Ritman, Alex (15 April 2015). "Cannes: 'In the Shadow of Women' to Open Directors' Fortnight". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 27 October 2018.
  6. ^ Hopewell, John (30 May 2017). "Cannes: MUBI Acquires Philippe Garrel's 'Lover for A Day' for U.S., U.K. (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 27 October 2018.
  7. ^ "Philippe Garrel's "L'Ombre des femmes" to open the 47th annual Directors' Fortnight". Directors' Fortnight. Archived from the original on 18 April 2015. Retrieved 15 April 2015.
  8. ^ Lemercier, Fabien (15 April 2015). "In the Shadow of Women to open the Directors' Fortnight". Cineuropa. Retrieved 2 March 2020.
  9. ^ Lemercier, Fabien (27 May 2015). "In the Shadow of Women: A fourth French film from Cannes in theatres". Cineuropa. Retrieved 2 March 2020.
  10. ^ "In the Shadow of Women de Philippe Garrel (2015)". UniFrance. Retrieved 30 May 2023.
  11. ^ "In The Shadow of Women". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 27 October 2018.
  12. ^ "In the Shadow of Women". Metacritic. Retrieved 27 October 2018.
  13. ^ Kohn, Eric (14 May 2015). "Cannes Review: Phillipe Garrel's 'In the Shadow of Women' is Charming, But We've Seen This Movie Before". IndieWire. Retrieved 27 October 2018.
  14. ^ "Top Ten 2015, Décembre 2015 n°717". Cahiers du cinéma. Retrieved 27 October 2018.
  15. ^ "Prix Louis-Delluc 2015 : découvrez les nominations". Télérama (in French). 27 November 2015.
  16. ^ "Prix Lumières 2016 : Trois souvenirs de ma jeunesse et Mustang en tête des nominations". AlloCiné (in French). 4 January 2016.

External links[edit]