

Paris doctor Catherine starts to think her husband, Bernard, is having an affair when she hears an unfamiliar woman's message on his voice mail. Hoping to learn more about his extramarital activities, Catherine heads to a strip club, where she hires call girl Nathalie to have a fling with Gerard. As the affair progresses, Nathalie gives Catherine regular status reports, and the relationship between the women evolves from business to personal.
Acting
Ardant's glacial composure vs. Béart's calculated vulnerability
Direction
Fontaine's refusal to moralize — she just watches them burn

Director
Anne Fontaine
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Emmanuelle Béart was famously difficult on set, reportedly refusing to speak to Fontaine between takes — method or mayhem?
The film was remade as 'Chloe' (2009) with Julianne Moore and Amanda Seyfried, stripping out the class tension that makes this version bite.
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