The Woman Next Door

"A destructive passion between desire and madness."

1981 1h 46m FR

👍

7.1

SOLID

★7.1TMDB · 351

DramaRomance

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Two ex-lovers wind up living next door to each other with their respective spouses. Forbidden passions ensue.

“A destructive passion between desire and madness.”

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Where to watch · US

Criterion ChannelSubscription

Cast

Gérard Depardieu
Bernard Coudray
Fanny Ardant
Mathilde Bauchard
Henri Garcin
Philippe Bauchard
Michèle Baumgartner
Arlette Coudray
Roger Van Hool
Roland Duguet
Véronique Silver
Madame Odile Jouve
Philippe Morier-Genoud
Doctor
Nicole Vauthier
Hotel concierge

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: François Truffaut
Writers: François Truffaut, Suzanne Schiffman, Jean Aurel
Languages: English, French
Countries: France

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

45 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, French.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by François Truffaut, shot by William Lubtchansky. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Georges Delerue. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Martine Barraqué shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Gérard Depardieu and Fanny Ardant and Henri Garcin carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "A destructive passion between desire and madness.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0082370 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

François Truffaut directs. William Lubtchansky behind the camera. Georges Delerue scores. Martine Barraqué cuts. Produced in France. Dialogue in English, French.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

145 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
2Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, French.
3Directed by François Truffaut, shot by William Lubtchansky. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Georges Delerue. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Martine Barraqué shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Gérard Depardieu and Fanny Ardant and Henri Garcin carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "A destructive passion between desire and madness.".
8IMDB entry: tt0082370 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

The technical file

Cinematography: William Lubtchansky
Original score: Georges Delerue
Editing: Martine Barraqué
Production design: Jean-Pierre Kohut-Svelko
Costume design: Michèle Cerf
Makeup / hair: Catherine Crassac
Runtime: 106 min · 1h 46m
Status: Released
Original language: FR
Certification (US): R
IMDB: The Woman Next Door (1981)

Also by

François Truffaut

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2024-08-07
★ 7/10
You can just imagine the scenario. "Bernard" (Gerard Depardieu) is living quite contentedly with his wife "Arlette" (Michèle Baumgartner) and their young son when they get new next-door neighbours. "Philippe" (Henri Garcin) and wife "Mathilde" (Fanny Ardant). Well ardent might have been a more appropriate spelling as it turns out that "Bernard" and "Mathilde" have a bit of history that time hasn't quite satiated. Ostensibly, they present a friendly front to their respective families and neighbours, but we soon appreciate the things are smouldering and that events eight years ago did not end well - for either of them. With their behaviour becoming more erratic and tensions mounting, well who knows what's going to happen next. This might be my favourite Depardieu performance as he really does thrown himself into the role body and soul, and with Ardant delivering an equally impassioned characterisation we are presented with a lively, tempestuous and at times quite visceral series of scenes as things spiral out of control. I'm not always a fan of narration but here, the sparing use of commentary from local tennis club boss "Madame Jouve" (Véronique Silver) helps fill in the gaps but also lets off some of the steam - physically and metaphorically, as the story becomes more involved. Talk about neighbours from hell...!

Production companies