BlazeLime Strong and Moving!

Tetrady not as good as all the hype

Konterr Brilliant and touching

Zlatica One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

Martin Bradley Remade by Atom Egoyan as "Chloe" with Julianne Moore and Liam Neeson in the Fanny Ardant and Gerard Depardieu roles and minxy little Amanda Seyfried in the Emmanuelle Beart part, "Nathalie" is a very French tale of amour fou. It's a thriller of sorts, though the thrills tend to be of the erotic and psychological kind rather than the more hands-on approach we might expect from something...well, less French while the material feels overly familiar even if you haven't seen the remake. Fundamentally it's a woman's picture; the director is Anne Fontaine but she doesn't make the material exciting. Ardant is so glacial it's no wonder Depardieu strays and Depardieu is such an unsmilingly drab slab of meat it's surprising he gets as much sex as he claims to. Only Beart livens up proceedings as the pert little hooker Ardant hires to seduce hubbie Depardieu in revenge for a casual fling.

insomniac_rod I watched this movie in theaters until 2005 although the movie was released in 2003. I didn't regret because the wait was worth.I think the plot and events are oriented for a mature audience; specifically for married couples who are passing hard times.The character of Natalie (or Nathalie X as subtitled here in México) is sexy, intriguing, and somewhat evil. She's a woman that may fool everyone with her lies and poses. Everything in the movie will deal with him as she will play angel and devil at the same time with the couple.The ending will leave everyone satisfied as it's an unexpected plot twist.I can recommend this movie for anyone who is looking for intelligent movies with mature situations. Those kind of situations that you may think never happen but that there's a possibility for them to come true...

gradyharp The French have a way with steamy films that makes the rest of the cinematic world seem bland in comparison. NATHALIE is fine case in point. Based on an idea by Philippe Blasband and transformed into a superb screenplay by Jacques Fieschi, François-Olivier Rousseau and the director Anne Fontaine, this incredibly well acted, subtle, understated film explores the many facets of adultery - from the woman's point of view. The result is a suspenseful, erotic, intelligent film that provides an opportunity for three of France's greatest actors to demonstrate their credentials.Catherine (the still very beautiful and gifted Fanny Ardant) is a gynecologist married to the successful Bernard (Gérard Depardieu in one of his more subtle roles) and they have a stay-at-home hippy son (Rodolphe Pauly) who goes about his life much the same as his parents: there is superficial companionship but little in depth relationship. The marriage seems satisfactory until Catherine suspects Bernard of having affairs, a fact that Bernard very honestly confesses to having: in his eyes the affairs are sexual dalliances that mean nothing. Catherine is shocked, attempts to gain some support from her insular but worldly mother (a fine Judith Magre) who tells Catherine it is a normal situation in older marriages.Catherine visits a bar, a private club for consignations, and there she meets Marlène (the extraordinary Emmanuelle Béart) and eventually buys Marlène's services as a prostitute to meet her husband and then tell her all about the encounters. It is agreed that Marlène will be known as 'Nathalie'. From this point on Catherine and Nathalie meet after Nathalie has encounters with Bernard and describes the acts of the encounters in vivid and lurid detail. Catherine is fascinated and continues to pay Nathalie for on going encounters and subsequent voyeuristic descriptions. Catherine even has a one-night stand of her own with bartender François (Wladimir Yordanoff) in an attempt to understand her husband's need for infidelity.Despite the setup of 'private investigator and prostitute detective' the two women become friends. When Catherine realizes she has enough evidence against Bernard to leave him there is a final encounter of the three (Catherine, Bernard, Nathalie) that brings the ingenious surprise ending - an ending to fine to share as it would spoil the film for viewers new to the story.Ardant is simply radiant as Catherine, playing the role of the victim wife of an adulterous husband with supreme dignity. Likewise Depardieu makes his Bernard so understated and profoundly honest that the conclusion in retrospect should have been suspected. Béart is at once wholly physical in her prostitute role yet maintains the inner core of a confused woman that keeps us on her side as she does her job. The production values are all first rate (except for some ragged editing) and the direction of Anne Fontaine is bristling with intrigue and wholly convincing in her development of this strange tale. Despite the dialogue being X-rated there is very little actual sex in this film: that makes it not only more powerful but as the ending is revealed adds to the solidity of the story. In French with English subtitles. Highly recommended for art film lovers. Grady Harp

dromasca If you do not like the French style of movies, without too many if any technical effects, relying mostly on acting and words rather than images this film risks to bore or disappoint. Otherwise, it is certainly worth a look, because it is a sophisticated relationship story, beautifully acted, and surprisingly interesting for the whole duration of the film. The main characters superbly played by Fanny Ardant and Gerard Depardieu are a mature and well-based couple going through an apparent fidelity crisis. She decides to hire a prostitute (Emmanuelle Beart) to become the new husband's relationship - and we may debate if this is just out of curiosity, if this is some kind of perversity, the willing to test her husband or the need of control. It's only a French movie that can present what comes next, most part of the film being spent with the young woman telling in many words the erotic encounters with the husband. The triangle develops into an unexpected direction when the two women befriend beyond the expected. The personal relation as well as the social comment asks questions about who is exploiting and about the relativity of the morality in this complex triangular relation. All this in a minor tone, interesting despite the high number of words and because of the good acting. A good movie, which could have been only French.