La Femme secrète
1986 Drama / Thriller
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Credits
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Summary
Learning of his wife death’s, Antoine Béraud abandons his work on an experimental
submarine in the North Sea and returns to his home in Paris. He learns that his
wife’s body was found in the Seine, pumped with barbiturates. Unable to accept that
his wife could kill herself, Antoine decides to carry out his own investigation.
He quickly discovers that his wife has been leading a double life, having a lesbian love
affair and attempting to defraud a bank of millions of francs...
Review
La Femme secrète is a watchable but perhaps disappointingly run-of-the-mill
crime drama, having the style, plot and production values of a typical mid 1980s TV crime
mystery. Despite an implausible plot and uneven, rambling narrative, the film manages
to hold the audience’s attention, mainly because of its bizarre collection of supporting
characters. These include a vitriolic artist (played by the as-ever superb Philippe
Noiret), a sadistic financier (Jean-Louis Richard) and a pallid stamp-collector (François
Berléand) who moonlights as an accomplice in a daring fraud.
By contrast, the lead characters (played by Jacques Bonnaffé and Clémentine Célarié) are comparatively bland and not at all engaging. Likewise, Sébastien Grall’s direction, whilst competent, feels just a little too complacent and unimaginative. © James Travers 2000 Write a review for this film... |
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