Nathalie… (2003) Movie Review

『Desire and Anxiety Between Women, That Subtle Boundary』

🎥 Movie Overview

🎬 Title: Nathalie… (2003)
🌍 Country: 🇫🇷 France
🎞️ Genre: Psychological Drama / Relational Psychodrama
🗓️ Production & Release: Gaumont, 1 film
⏳ Runtime: 97 minutes
📢 Director: Anne Fontaine
🖋️ Screenplay: Anne Fontaine, Jacques Fieschi

👩‍💼 Cast: Fanny Ardant – Catherine
Emmanuelle Béart – Nathalie / Marl

🧩 In-Depth Story Exploration (Spoilers)

🔍 Cracks in Emotion Born from Suspicion

Catherine, a successful gynecologist and mother, was living a seemingly peaceful life until she discovered a suspicious message on her husband Bernard’s phone, hinting at an affair. Instead of confronting him directly, Catherine becomes consumed by a pathological curiosity about what her husband seeks in another woman. She approaches Marlène, a hostess bar worker, and pays her to seduce Bernard under the guise of a college student named “Nathalie.”

🎭 Two Women at the Boundary of Reality and Fantasy

Nathalie reports back to Catherine with detailed and explicit accounts of her fabricated encounters with Bernard. While these stories torment her, Catherine also rediscovers a lost sexual tension and vitality. Nathalie’s depiction of Bernard’s “new” self vicariously fulfills Catherine’s suppressed desires and shakes her identity. The two women grow closer through this forbidden “transaction,” with Catherine crossing personal boundaries by inviting Nathalie into her home and even introducing her to her mother. Over time, Nathalie becomes the center of Catherine’s life, surpassing her interest in Bernard.

💔 New Desires Shaped by Repressed Emotions

When Nathalie reports that Bernard wants to live with her, Catherine confronts Bernard, who denies it. Catherine takes him to the bistro where she and Nathalie used to meet, and when Nathalie flees upon seeing Bernard, Catherine realizes that Nathalie’s reports were all fabricated. Nathalie confesses that she never had a sexual relationship with Bernard, admitting: “That (lie) was the best chance I had. That I didn’t have to have sex.” Catherine, instead of feeling rage, experiences a strange calm, embraces Nathalie, and then returns to Bernard, choosing to maintain her marriage.

🦋 Emotional Resonance and the Film’s Meaning

🎬 Restrained Sexual Depiction (Verbal Eroticism)

Nathalie… is marked by its European subtlety, restraint, ambiguity, and psychological depth.

• Invisible Sex: The film never shows actual sexual encounters between Nathalie and Bernard. All eroticism comes through Nathalie’s explicit verbal descriptions, existing only in Catherine’s imagination. This creates an experience of voyeurism and desire through language and psychology rather than visual provocation.
• Absence of Physical Relationship Between Women: Director Anne Fontaine originally envisioned a lesbian relationship between the two female leads, but due to the actresses’ objections, the final film emphasizes emotional and psychological intimacy without physical consummation. (This contrasts strongly with the remake Chloe, where same-sex relations are depicted explicitly.)

🎨 Confusion of Identity and Identification

Catherine’s Deficiency: Although she has achieved a successful life, Catherine’s self-esteem collapses under Bernard’s infidelity and her own sexual alienation. Through Nathalie, she vicariously consumes the identity of the young, sensual woman desired by men.

Nathalie’s False Liberation: Nathalie’s reason for lying was that it was the “best chance not to have sex.” She seeks to escape her identity as a call girl and craves the attention of a stable, intellectual woman like Catherine. In that relationship, she temporarily constructs an idealized self as “Nathalie.”

🌪️ Bernard’s Presence: A Symbol of Indifference

Bernard, played by Gérard Depardieu, is the catalyst for conflict, yet his actual presence in the film is minimal. This demonstrates that the film is not about a “man’s infidelity” but rather an exploration of women’s inner worlds and relationships in the aftermath. Bernard merely serves as the linking thread of desire and jealousy between Catherine and Nathalie, but he is not the heart of their story.

🎯 Personal Rating (Preference-Based)

💕 Love Scene Intensity: ♥♥
⭐ Rating: ★★★★