Inspired by the novel by Milán Füst, published in 1942, and carrying the same title, the film The Story of My Wife (The story of my wife)in official competition, marks the return of the Hungarian director Ildiko Enyedi to Cannes, since she won the Golden Camera for her first film in 1989, My Twentieth Centurywhich had been presented in the a certain look section.
The story of my wifewas one of Ildiko’s favorite novels when she was a teenager, which led her to adapt her to the cinema.
On the advice of his cook, and to avoid his small health problems, the big, beautiful and virile captain Jakob Störr (Gijs Naber) decided to marry. While he was in a Parisian tea room with one of his friends, he reveals this decision to him and even added that he would marry the first woman who would enter this same tea room.
A woman has actually entered. Jakob only sees her from back but still decides to go talk to her. From the first glance, he is captivated!
She is Lizzie (Léa Seydoux) and she is beautifully beautiful!
Left, intimidated, but at the same time courageous, Jakob makes his marriage proposal and Lizzie accepts it!
This first discussion between them reveals a certain complicity, they both love the challenges and are both playful.
But if Jakob will immediately and irreparably fall in love with this woman and will devote himself body and soul to her couple, what will he be from Lizzie?
Why did she accept her proposal?
A priori to make another man jealous. Perhaps that she also likes adventure and that this beautiful captain and her audacity like her? Without forgetting that he is handsome man and has distributed!
“The story of my wife”: Jakob (Gijs Naber) and Lizzie (Léa Seydoux)
From the first wedding night, we understand that Lizzie is a tough companion, she is a player and very strong. When Jakob offers a game of strip poker, she accepts. Quickly, she dominates the game and we guess that she will always have the upper hand in their relationship.
Jakob will try to adapt to her, to integrate into his circle of friends, to adopt his lifestyle. He begins by observing this frivolous Parisian environment that he does not know. He is sometimes jealous, but controls himself perfectly. He observes and was silent. And fulfills her role as a loving and considerate husband, very happy each time to reintegrate the marital home after each sea trip.
But following an accident that Lizzie had when she returned home one evening, which will be revealed almost by chance, and whose details we will not know, the doubt will begin to interfere in Jakob. What had happened that evening between Lizzy and his friend Dedin that evening when he was absent? Even if Jakob has made the choice not to talk about it, from that moment, he will no longer be the same, he will lose his serenity and his total confidence in his wife.
If Jakob is so in love with his wife, what about Lizzie?
At first, she also seems loving and in love. But then?
This lizzie is a hell of a character. She is beautiful and she turns heads. It is a fucking, a woman who attracts, who can in no case go unnoticed. And she knows how to play her charm. Although Jakob tries to understand it, to identify it, she manages to maintain the mystery, to remain unpredictable, even capricious.
We would have liked to know a little more about Lizzy, his personality, his reactions, discover her past and her journey, understand why she behaves with this man who gave her everything and who loved her so much, but nothing like it because the film tells the point of view of Jakob, who himself asks questions. Is his wife in love with him or does she just enjoy his money? Is it faithful? During her long absences, what does she do? What and especially with whom does she spend her time? Does she hide things from him? What does its yawns mean? What is this indifference that she seems to show her? And especially who is this dedin (Louis Garel) which is always in the vicinity of Lizzie and whose fairly significant name, corresponds precisely to this pout of disdain which he displays towards others and in particular towards Jakob?
Jakob has so many doubts that he hires a private detective to try to find answers. But Lizzie’s attitude will leave him in a permanent state of uncertainty.
This man who seemed so strong, strong, solid, knowing how to make the right decisions even in extreme cases, lacked self-confidence as soon as he got out of his professional environment. From the moment he fell in love and started playing his wife’s game, his world collapsed. But he is ready to fight to try to understand himself and discover himself. He takes him on him and tries to fall back on his feet. He is not in judgment. He is ready to learn, to discover love, the other, the relationship with two, and even to know the goal of life, or a way of apprehending it differently.
The film team “The Story of My Wife on the red carpet: Louis Garrel, Monika MECS, Gijs Naber, Ildiko Eyedi, Luna Wedler and Sergio Rubini.
During the press conference which followed the projection, which unfortunately, Léa Seydoux, tested positive at the COVID 19 had not been able to attend, the director explained that part of the preparation of these two main roles of Jakob and Lizzie, was made separately, precisely because they are two different challenges, to try to keep the points of view of each and so that there is no complicity was lacking in the two characters/husbands.
She also said she chose her actors, complying in some ways in European stereotypes or shots. For the role of Jakob, she wanted a Dutchman, tall, strong and blond.
“” I am of European culture, this novel takes up certain shots with which it plays wonderfully well, the archetypes of what different nations are in Europe, and I followed this novel … So I was looking for a Dutch for this role, someone who comes from the North, from the Protestant part of Europe, a solid person who believes in the clear rules of society and who controls his life. But his partner, his teacher, namely the person who pushes him forward and who takes him out of his small logical area of comfort, is not only French but she is in more Parisian! She is not only pretty, but she is smarter and has a lot of mind. It has different levels, facets and many secrets She said.
“” Is it a sad film or a celebration of love and life? It is easy to fall in love but it is the continuation that matters, conflicts, struggles … You have to know how to learn from it and advance in life She added. And that’s what says The Story of My Life : At the same time a love story, with its ups and downs, but also a reflection on the meaning of life through the journey of Jakob, who discovers, learns and changes and the reactions of Lizzie who intrigues and pushes to ask questions.
Some criticized the film for being a bit long (2h49). Yes, possible. But shouldn’t it have to give Jakob time to evolve and change? Certainly. Jakob needed all this time to be able to fulfill his journey to understand the world and romantic relationships. And it was also necessary that the spectator accompanies the captain in this long trip. Jakob understood at the end. Lizzy gives advice at some point in the film. She says: “It is useless to wait for life to accommodate you, you have to accommodate life, if not, it will punish you”. (It is useless to wait for life to accomodate you, you must accommodate life. Otherwise, it will punish you). In fact, for her when you spend all her life doing with reality and trying to control everything, we end up punishing ourselves.
The Story of My Wife is a film that also reflects on the meaning of life. Should we always be Cartesian, right, be square, program everything … or take life as it presents itself, without asking questions?
Maybe it would have taken a happy medium between the two!
The Story of My Wife “The Story of My Wife”: Jakob (Gijs Naber) and Lizzie (Léa Seydoux)
The two actors are excellent and very just: Gijs Naber in his role of the beautiful captain, who when he is on his boat is calm, rational, knowing how to make the decisions that are essential, including in the event of danger, and which when he is in front of his wife loses all his means and becomes very vulnerable, and the beautiful Léa Seydoux, in capricious, unpredictable and elusive Lizzie.
The images are also superb. The decorators and costumers were able to reconstruct the decorations and the atmosphere of the 1920s/1930. Especially Paris, such an existing and attractive city that we would like to live there …
The Story of My Life is a very beautiful film that makes you want to buy the novel!
Neïla Driss
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