La femme publique (1984)
Release Year: 1984
Nation: France
Alternative Title: A Mulher Pública, Обществена жена, Femme publique, Kobieta publiczna, Публичная женщина, La mujer pública, The Public Woman, Die öffentliche Frau
Director: Andrzej Zulawski
Writer: Andrzej Zulawski, Dominique Garnier
Production & Genre
Awards & Similar
Awards:
Similar: N/A
Story
A young actress, Sophie (Sophie Marceau), arrives in Paris and lands a role in a film adaptation of Dostoyevsky's 'The Possessed'. The Czech director of the film, Paul (Francis Huster), becomes obsessed with her and takes control over her life. Sophie struggles to distinguish between reality and acting as she becomes deeply immersed in her character. Paul manipulates her into posing as the dead wife of a Czech immigrant named Koudelka (Yves Benezet). Unbeknownst to Sophie, Paul intends for Koudelka to carry out a political assassination under the guise of being Sophie's widower.
Summary
La femme publique (1984) is an erotic drama directed by Andrzej Żuławski, based on Sophie Marceau's real-life experiences in the film industry. The movie explores themes of identity, reality versus illusion, and manipulation. It interweaves elements from Fyodor Dostoyevsky's 'The Possessed' with a semi-autobiographical narrative. Although it received mixed reviews upon release, La femme publique is now considered one of Żuławski's most controversial films due to its explicit content and exploration of dark psychological themes.
