Film Reviews

Nathalie

• Rating:
• Director: Anne Fontaine.
• Starring: Fanny Ardant, Emmanuelle Beart, Gerard Depardieu, Wladimir Yordanoff, Judith Magre.
• Details: Fra / 105 mins / (18).

With a cast list that includes three of French cinemas heaviest hitters - Fanny Ardant, Emmanuelle Beart, Gerard Depardieu - there's no shortage of acting talent on display in the heavy but worthwhile drama Nathalie. Catherine (Ardent) and Bernard (Depardieu) have a grown up son and seem to be settling into a comfortable middle-age together. However all that changes when Catherine learns that her hubby has enjoyed the odd dalliance in the past. Though hurt and betrayed, Catherine doesn't do the logical thing and have it out with Bernard. Rather she begins visiting a local brothel where she strikes up a friendship with a hooker (Beart). Employing her to seduce her husband and report back to her, Catherine begins playing a dangerous game of intrigue which has the potential to backfire on her. Sexual voyeurism may traditionally be the preserve of males in cinema, but Ardant takes the female viewpoint in this intriguing, wordy drama. Richly atmospheric, co-writer and director Fontaine is more interested in the concepts of betrayal and the rebirth of affection in the most unlikely of circumstances than the act of sex itself, reducing it to conversations between the two women which take on a seductive quality of their own. The pacing of the film is a little sluggish, with the twist becoming apparent about midway through the film, and Fontaine lacks the guile to really spring a surprise on the audience. But the trinity of performances at the centre of Nathalie are strong, with Beart particularly impressive, her natural radiance shining through.

Review by Garreth Murphy