The President’s Wife is a tale of female empowerment. Bernadette (played by French icon Catherine Deneuve), stars as a fictionalised version of former French first lady Bernadette Chirac.
In 1995, Jacques Chirac (played by Michel Vuillermoz) is elected President of the French Republic. Bernadette has tirelessly supported her husband’s journey to presidency and expects to finally secure the position she deserves. She finds herself set aside and brushed off as old-fashioned, cold and sour-tempered. Bernadette decides to react.
With the help of her chief of staff, Bernard Niquet (Denis Podalydès) Bernadette embarks on a campaign to restore her reputation and assert her role as first lady and to step out of the shadows of her husband. Amidst rumours of Chirac’s infidelity, she models herself on the late Princess Diana, chucks her pearls and silk scarves, and is seen in night clubs with shirtless pop stars. Bernadette goes on to become an iconic figure in her own right with an amazing resilience and wit.
This movie is full of delightful gags. You’ll find yourself smiling and empathising with Bernadette, flawlessly personified by the wonderful Deneuve.
The President’s Wife opens at Luna on 1 August and is still running.
I give this movie a 7 out 0f 10.
By Jean Hudson
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