The Aviator's Wife (1981)

In the soft morning light, Christian, a married aviator, reluctantly ends his affair with Anne, carrying the weight of a pregnant wife and an impending move to Paris. His visit doesn't go unnoticed; Anne's new lover, François, watches from the shadows, his heart sinking into a sea of assumptions and his mind buzzing with unanswered questions. Believing the affair still aflame, François embarks on an emotional quest for truth. He finds an unlikely ally in Lucie, a clever and curious 15-year-old girl he chance encounters in a park. Together, they dive into a thrilling web of intrigue and theories, their imaginations fuelled by the sight of Christian with an unknown woman. As François and Lucie tail the enigmatic couple, they concoct hypotheses and weave stories, the most compelling of which sees the unknown woman as the aviator's wife seeking a divorce. Yet, the truth proves to be a chameleon, ever elusive and shifting. When François finally confronts Anne, he learns that the mystery woman is not the aviator's wife, but his sister, and their affair is genuinely over. But just as one mystery unravels, another knots itself. François spots Lucie locked in a tender kiss with a friend and work colleague, a sight that leaves him disheartened. "The Aviator's Wife" is a winding tale of love, jealousy, and mistaken identities, reminding us that life is a puzzle that can't be solved, only lived. It's a poignant exploration of human relationships, where the truth often hides behind the veil of perception, and the reality is sometimes too complex to comprehend.

The Aviator's Wife is a comedy movie featuring Philippe Marlaud and directed by Éric Rohmer.

The Aviator's Wife is currently streaming on Metrograph.

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