In the Shadow of Women

February 21, 2016 · Knoxville Museum of Art · 2:00 p.m.

Iconoclast and long-time bête noire of French cinema Philippe Garrel evokes the glories of the Nouvelle Vague in this beautifully modulated film about the ups and downs of bohemian life. Shot in lustrous black-and-white, the film floats us back to the Paris of the 1960s — a city of side streets, bars, and tiny apartments where people live and love, sometimes well and sometimes badly.

In the Shadow of Women follows a youngish couple: Pierre (Stanislas Merhar), a filmmaker shooting a documentary on an elderly French Resistance veteran; and Manon (Clotilde Courau), his loyal professional and domestic partner, happy to make films with the man she loves. Together they eke out a marginal existence, staying one step ahead of their landlord until, one day, the feckless Pierre meets a young intern at the film archive where he does his research. It’s not long before he and Elisabeth (Léna Paugam) are entangled, and for Pierre this amorous relationship becomes as much of a constraint as the one from which he is attempting to escape. Manon and Elisabeth both find themselves coping with a man who is far from worthy of their attentions. — Piers Handling, Toronto International Film Festival

“The currents of desire, jealousy and resentment that flow through a relationship over time receive an exquisite close-up from director Philippe Garrel in “In the Shadow of Women,” a tightly focused romantic drama that exudes the narrative terseness of a good short story and the lucid craftsmanship of a filmmaker in full command of the medium.” — Scott Foundas, Variety

“In the high-contrast, black-and-white, wide-screen images, Garrel captures creative and erotic passions with a spontaneous classicism and a monumental poise.” — Richard Brody, The New Yorker

“In Garrel’s world, the simplest gesture can carry the most lasting significance—it’s no coincidence that he saves Pierre’s one and only smile for the film’s stirring final shot.” — Jordan Cronk, Reverse Shot

About the Filmmaker

Philippe Garrel was born in Paris and came of age under the influence of Jean-Luc Godard and May ’68. His films include Le Révélateur (’68); The Inner Scar (’72) and Les Hautes solitudes (’74), which he made with his long-time partner Nico; Liberté, la nuit (’83), J’entends plus la guitare (’91), Le vent de la nuit (’98), Les Amants réguliers (’05), and Jealousy (’13).