In the Shadow of Women

In the Shadow of Women
Theatrical release poster
French	L'Ombre des femmes
Directed by	Philippe Garrel
Written by	Jean-Claude Carrière Caroline Deruas-Garrel Arlette Langmann Philippe Garrel
Produced by	Saïd Ben Saïd Michel Merkt
Starring	Clotilde Courau Stanislas Merhar Lena Paugam
Cinematography	Renato Berta
Edited by	François Gédigier
Music by	Jean-Louis Aubert
Production companies	SBS Productions Close Up Films Arte France Cinéma Radio Télévision Suisse
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]
Language	French
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

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

• Clotilde Courau as Manon
• Stanislas Merhar as Pierre
• Lena Paugam as Elisabeth
• Vimala Pons as Lisa
• Mounir Margoum as Manon's lover
• Jean Pommier as Henri
• Thérèse Quentin as Henri's wife
• Antoinette Moya as Manon's mother
• Louis Garrel as the narrator

Release

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

Critical response

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

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

1. 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

• In the Shadow of Women at IMDb 
• ‹The template AllMovie title is being considered for deletion.› In the Shadow of Women at AllMovie
• In the Shadow of Women at AlloCiné (in French)