Icarus Films: In the Shadow of Women

In the Shadow of Women

From The Distrib Films Collection

Directed by Philippe Garrel

73 minutes / Color
English; French / English subtitles
Release: 2017
Copyright: 2015

The new film by the great Philippe Garrel (previously seen at the NYFF with Regular Lovers in 2005 and Jealousy in 2013) is a close look at infidelity-not merely the fact of it, but the particular, divergent ways in which it's experienced and understood by men and women. Stanislas Merhar and Clotilde Courau are Pierre and Manon, a married couple working in fragile harmony on Pierre's documentary film projects, the latest of which is a portrait of a resistance fighter (Jean Pommier). When Pierre takes a lover (Lena Paugam), he feels entitled to do so, and he treats both wife and mistress with disengagement bordering on disdain; when Manon catches Pierre in the act, her immediate response is to find common ground with her husband. Garrel is an artist of intimacies and emotional ecologies, and with IN THE SHADOW OF WOMEN he has added narrative intricacy and intrigue to his toolbox. The result is an exquisite jewel of a film.

"Few filmmakers explore the mysteries of coupledom as touchingly as post-Nouvelle Vague maestro Philippe Garrel."—The Village Voice

"Critics' Pick! In the high-contrast, black-and-white, wide-screen images, Garrel captures creative and erotic passions with a spontaneous classicism and a monumental poise."—The New Yorker

"Filmed in widescreen black-and-white that makes Paris look both decrepit and irresistible, this is a swift tale of what men and women want versus what they settle for."—New York Post

"The moody, black-and-white cinematography, literary voice-over and intense exploration of messy relationships and broken hearts effortlessly evokes the world of Eric Rohmer and Francois Truffaut."—Screen International

"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."—Variety

"Initially somewhat wispy-feeling, this 72-minute feature transforms in its final reel from an ironic divertissement to a work of considerable feeling and intensity."—The Hollywood Reporter