The Woman Next Door (1981)

In the quiet hum of Grenoble, Bernard Coudray, his wife Arlette, and their son Thomas live a contented life cocooned in domestic bliss. Their tranquil existence is disturbed when the house next door is inhabited by flight controller Philippe Bauchard and his wife Mathilde. As the strands of destiny weave their intricate web, an accidental reunion occurs between Bernard and Mathilde, reigniting the embers of a passionate love affair that had ended traumatically eight years prior. Beneath the watchful gaze of Madame Jouve, our narrator, the two former lovers are drawn into an intoxicating whirlwind. The seemingly random encounter in a supermarket triggers a flood of memories, and they find themselves entwined once more, meeting in secret in the seclusion of a hotel room. Their love, like a phoenix, is reborn from the ashes of their past, but it's a love that is as tumultuous and stormy as it is fervent. As Bernard and Mathilde succumb to the irresistible force pulling them together, their clandestine affair threatens to unravel the fabric of their lives. The Woman Next Door is a poignant study of human emotions, charting the turbulent journey of two lovers trapped by their shared history. It's a tale of love, lust, and loss, where the echoes of the past have tragic consequences for the present. Lured by the intoxication of forbidden love, Bernard and Mathilde teeter on the brink of ecstasy and despair, finding that sometimes, love can be as destructive as it is beautiful.

The Woman Next Door is a drama movie featuring Gérard Depardieu and directed by François Truffaut.

The Woman Next Door is currently streaming on Criterion Channel.