Gilles' wife

In the working class environment of the 1930s, Elisa is Gilles’ wife. The latter works in the blast furnaces, sometimes during the day, sometimes at night. Elisa takes care of the children, the house and lives every day waiting for Gilles’ return. Victorine, Elisa’s sister, often comes to visit her to play with the children and help out.
Elisa is expecting a child. Strange ideas cross his mind. Gilles and Victorine, Victorine and Gilles… But no, these are strange ideas. And then one day, a feeling, a certainty that falls, unbearable: something is happening between these two individuals.
A strange inner struggle begins, made of courage, self-sacrifice and silence. To find what was lost. To become Gilles’ wife again.

2004

Sortie: 29.09.2004
Langue: French
Avec Emmanuelle Devos, Clovis Cornillac, Laura Smet

An exceptional co-production between 5 countries, Belgium, France, Luxembourg, Italy and Switzerland, La femme de Gilles was led by producer Patrick Quinet. After Une Liaison pornographique, this is the third feature film by Belgian Frédéric Fonteyne, an adaptation of the homonymous Walloon literary classic by Madeleine Bourdouxhe published by Éditions Labor.

The Walloon expenses are at the level of the team and about ten days of shooting. Wallimage’s agreement to co-produce this exciting project was all the more easy as the producer gave the Walloon fund access to revenues from all countries, except Switzerland and Italy, but including France via the French company it had just created.

Combining artistic qualities and commercial advantages, this “large format” adaptation is one of those rare and ambitious projects, which, in terms of notoriety, is a standard-bearer for our region.