The Wife

"Secrets lie between the lines"

2017 1h 40m EN

👍

7.1

SOLID

★7.1TMDB · 1,143

Drama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

A wife questions her life choices as she travels to Stockholm with her husband, where he is slated to receive the Nobel Prize for Literature.

“Secrets lie between the lines”

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Cast

Glenn Close
Joan Castleman
Jonathan Pryce
Joe Castleman
Christian Slater
Nathaniel Bone
Max Irons
David Castleman
Harry Lloyd
Young Joe
Annie Starke
Young Joan
Elizabeth McGovern
Elaine Mozell
Johan Widerberg
Walter Bark

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Björn Runge
Writers: Jane Anderson
Languages: English, Swedish
Countries: Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, United States of America

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

Released 9 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, Swedish.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 4 countries: Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, United States of America.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Björn Runge, shot by Ulf Brantås. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Glenn Close and Jonathan Pryce and Christian Slater carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Secrets lie between the lines".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Björn Runge directs. Ulf Brantås behind the camera. Jocelyn Pook scores. Lena Dahlberg-Runge cuts. Profitable at the box office. Produced in Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, United States of America. Dialogue in English, Swedish.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Released 9 years ago.
2Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, Swedish.
3International production across 4 countries: Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, United States of America.
4Directed by Björn Runge, shot by Ulf Brantås. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Jocelyn Pook. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Lena Dahlberg-Runge shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Glenn Close and Jonathan Pryce and Christian Slater carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "Secrets lie between the lines".
9IMDB entry: tt3750872 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Classified under 17 themes, including "infidelity", "husband wife relationship", "based on novel or book", "professor".

The technical file

Cinematography: Ulf Brantås
Original score: Jocelyn Pook
Editing: Lena Dahlberg-Runge
Production design: Mark Leese
Costume design: Trisha Biggar
Makeup / hair: Caroline Peberdy
VFX supervisor: Alex Hansson
Sound: Thomas Huhn
Stunt coordinator: Paul Heasman
Runtime: 100 min · 1h 40m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $7,000,000
Box office: $20,000,000
Return: 286% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: The Wife (2017)

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Björn Runge

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Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2024-06-30
★ 6/10
"Joe" (Jonathan Pryce) has won the Nobel prize for literature and so must travel with his wife "Joan" (Glenn Close) to Stockholm to receive the award from the King of Sweden. Embarking on Concorde (which never flew to Stockholm) the couple arrive to be feted by Nobel literati and pestered by "Nathanial" (Christian Slater) who is determined to write a biography of this author. Neither husband nor wide want anything to do with him, and swiftly we learn that their son "David" (Max Irons) doesn't really want too much to do with his father, either. Using some flashbacks to their courting days, we learn a little about this couple and discover that much of their lives is but a façade with secrets and rancour galore in their marital closet. It's a drunken chat between the son and the journalist that proves to be the familial flashpoint and the timing could hardly be worse! Whilst most of the acting plaudits must go to a calculating performance from Close, Pryce isn't terrible either - unlike messrs. Slater and Irons who really add little to a story that takes about five minutes to work out. It's all watchable enough, but there's no chemistry nor does it feel very natural at any point in the proceedings. Sure, the whole Nobel paraphernalia doesn't make that too easy, but somehow it's like a short stage play that someone has decided would make for a film - without really realising just how sterile it would look.

Production companies