Based on the novel by Guy de Maupassant’s, A Woman’s Life opens with a scene where Jeanne, approaching adulthood, is planting vegetables with her father, Baron Le Perthuis des Vauds. The camera follows the mundane chore closely, emphasizing the bloom of summer nature, simple family happiness and the feel of soil, saplings, water and a dampened hemline. The rows of plants are straight, the spaces between them evenly spaced and they will soon bear fruit – unlike Jeanne’s life, where the dreams of happiness and love wither as surely as autumn fades the colours of summer. Echoing Rousseau’s philosophy, nature reflects the moral and primordial state: good, authentic and untainted – whereas humans, by contrast, betray and lie.
Stéphane Brizé is not aiming for a straightforward adaptation. The film approaches the protagonist’s story through fragments and impressions, much like light strokes of a paintbrush or fleeting memories: Jeanne by a rain-speckled window, Jeanne swimming, Jeanne standing on a coastal ridge. These moments are brought together by the young woman’s voiceover narration. Brizé expresses Jeanne’s emotions and transformation with powerful cinematic flair, relying on editing and the asynchronous use of sound and image. The non-linear narrative, temporal compression, ellipses and minimalism all underscore the inevitability of fate. Judith Chemla is arresting in the role of Jeanne.
Satu Kyösola