Watch Gilles' Wife

Gilles' Wife is a French drama film from 2004, directed by Frédéric Fonteyne and co-written with Philippe Blasband. The film stars Emmanuelle Devos, Clovis Cornillac, and Laura Smet in the leading roles. The movie tells the story of a couple, Elisa (Emmanuelle Devos) and Gilles (Clovis Cornillac), who have been married for ten years and have a daughter. One day, Gilles decides to leave his wife and daughter in order to pursue his dream of building a boat in a remote location. Elisa is left with the task of looking after their daughter, managing their small restaurant, and trying to come to terms with her husband's abandonment.

Initially, Elisa is angry and confused about Gilles' decision to leave her, especially since she feels that he is pursuing a selfish dream at the expense of their family. However, as time passes, she begins to feel a sense of liberation from her husband's oppressive personality and the conventional life they shared together. She discovers new facets of herself, including her desire for freedom, self-expression, and personal fulfillment.

Elisa also becomes re-acquainted with her old flame, Victor (Jacques Spiesser), who owns a nearby sawmill. Victor is still in love with Elisa, and he helps her to run the restaurant and care for her daughter. Despite his feelings for her, Victor respects Elisa's desire for independence and never pressures her into anything she doesn't want to do.

As the story progresses, Elisa faces a series of challenges and struggles both professionally and personally. Her relationship with her husband remains complicated, as she struggles to reconcile her love for him with her own desires for independence. Meanwhile, the restaurant faces financial difficulties, and Elisa must find a way to keep it afloat while taking care of her daughter and pursuing her own dreams.

The film is a beautiful and intimate portrait of a woman's journey towards self-discovery, liberation, and empowerment. Emmanuelle Devos delivers a powerful and evocative performance as Elisa, embodying the character's complex emotions and inner turmoil with authenticity and sensitivity. The cinematography, shot on location in the Ardennes region of Belgium, captures the stunning natural beauty of the landscape and adds an element of lyricism and poetry to the film.

The film's themes include gender roles, societal expectations, love, marriage, family, and personal fulfillment. It is a poignant and insightful commentary on the pressures and expectations that women face in their personal and professional lives and the ways in which they can find strength, resilience, and self-determination in the face of adversity.

Overall, Gilles' Wife is a powerful and emotionally resonant film that explores the human condition with compassion, depth, and insight. It is a must-watch for anyone interested in French cinema, feminist perspectives, or character-driven dramas that are rooted in real-life experiences and emotions.

Gilles' Wife is a 2005 drama with a runtime of 1 hour and 43 minutes. It has received mostly positive reviews from critics and viewers, who have given it an IMDb score of 6.7 and a MetaScore of 82.