The Story of My Wife (Hungarian: A feleségem története) is a 2021 romantic drama film written and directed by Ildikó Enyedi, based on the 1942 novel of the same name by Milán Füst. It stars Léa Seydoux, Gijs Naber, Louis Garrel, Sergio Rubini and Jasmine Trinca, and follows Jakob Störr (Naber), a sea captain who indifferently chooses a wife, but quickly becomes obsessed with her.
| The Story of My Wife | |
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 International promotional poster | |
| Hungarian | A feleségem története |
| Directed by | Ildikó Enyedi |
| Written by | Ildikó Enyedi |
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| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Marcell Rév |
| Edited by | Károly Szalai |
| Music by | Ádám Balázs |
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Running time | 169 minutes |
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| Budget | €10 million[1] |
The film had its world premiere at the main competition of the 2021 Cannes Film Festival on 14 July, where it was nominated for the Palme d'Or. It was theatrically released in Hungary by Mozinet on 23 September, in Germany by Alamode Film on 14 October, and in France by Pyramide Distribution on 12 January 2022. It received mixed reviews.
Premise
editJakob Störr (Gijs Naber) is a sea captain in charge of freighters. After taking ill at sea his cook advises him to take a wife. Indifferent to the idea, Jakob informs a friend that he intends to marry and that it makes little difference who his wife is. He suggests he will marry the next woman who walks into the café. Seeing the beautiful Lizzy (Léa Seydoux) he proposes that they marry the following day and she suggests they wait a week.
Jakob and Lizzy are married and are initially quite happy with each other. Jakob leaves for months at a time and is satisfied to always have Lizzy at home waiting for him.
Cast
edit- Léa Seydoux as Lizzy
- Gijs Naber as Jakob Störr
- Louis Garrel as Dedin
- Sergio Rubini as Kodor
- Jasmine Trinca as Viola
- Luna Wedler as Grete
- Josef Hader as Herr Lange
- Ulrich Matthes as psychiatrist
- Udo Samel as private investigator
Production
editMilán Füst's novel, The Story of My Wife, was one of Enyedi's favorites when she was a teenager, which led her to adapt it into a film.[2] In February 2018, it was announced Léa Seydoux had joined the cast of the film, with Ildikó Enyedi directing from a screenplay she wrote. Monika Mécs, Maren Ade, Jonas Dornbach, Janine Jackowski, Flaminio Zadra, Pilar Saavedra Perrotta producing under their Inforg-M&M Film, Komplizen Film and Palosanto Films banners, respectively.[3] In April 2019, it was announced Gijs Naber, Louis Garrel, Josef Hader, Sergio Rubini and Jasmine Trinca had joined the cast of the film.[4]
The dialogue is primarily in English because in the 1920s English was the primary language in the shipping industry.[2]
Filming began on 8 April 2019 and in Hamburg, Budapest, and Malta.[4]
Release
editIn February 2020, it was announced Rai Cinema, Mozinet, Pyramide Distribution and Almonde would distribute the film in Italy, Hungary, France, and Germany, respectively.[1] But the film was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Europe.
The Story of My Wife had its world premiere at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival on 14 July.[5] It had its North American Premiere at the 2021 Toronto International Film Festival.[6]
It was theatrically released in Hungary by Mozinet on 23 September,[7] in Germany by Alamode Film on 14 October,[8] and in France by Pyramide Distribution on 12 January 2022.[9]
Reception
editThe Story of My Wife holds a 21% approval rating on review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, based on 19 reviews, with a weighted average of 4.60/10.[10] On Metacritic, the film holds a rating of 40 out of 100, based on 5 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[11]
References
edit- 1 2 Macnab, Geoffrey (February 24, 2020). "Films Boutique inks deals on Ildikó Enyedi's 'Story Of My Wife' (exclusive)". Screen Daily. Retrieved February 26, 2020.
- 1 2 Barraclough, Leo (May 8, 2019). "First Look: Léa Seydoux in 'The Story of My Wife' From Ildikó Enyedi (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved February 26, 2020.
- ↑ Roxborough, Scott (14 February 2018). "Lea Seydoux to Star in New Film From Director Ildiko Enyedi (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved April 10, 2019.
- 1 2 Lemercier, Fabien (April 9, 2019). "ldikó Enyedi shooting The Story of My Wife". Cineuropa. Retrieved April 9, 2019.
- ↑ "The Films of the Official Selection 2021". Cannes Film Festival. June 3, 2021. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
- ↑ Rubin, Rebecca (2021-07-20). "Toronto Film Festival Lineup Adds 'Dear Evan Hansen,' 'The Eyes of Tammy Faye' and 'Clifford the Big Red Dog'". Variety. Retrieved 2021-07-20.
- ↑ "A feleségem története (12E) Enyedi Ildikó új filmje szeptember 23-tól a mozikban!". YouTube. June 30, 2021. Retrieved July 17, 2021.
- ↑ "Filmfest Hamburg 2021: "The story of my wife" in the program". NDR. June 30, 2021. Retrieved July 17, 2021.
- ↑ "The Story of My Wife". Pyramide Distribution. Retrieved 15 July 2021.
- ↑ "The Story of My Wife (2021)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved August 14, 2022.
- ↑ "The Story of My Wife". Metacritic. Retrieved July 17, 2021.
