“Outbursts of honesty and extremes of secrecy, moments of doubt and founded or unfounded joy… it's all there.” - Venice Film Festival
Envied for their success, the master and mistress of the house revel in the delight of their guests. Dinner parties, long evenings, conversation, good wine and good friends, a place where everyone knows everyone else, the centre of a universe about to crumble.
Based on a short story, The Return, by Joseph Conrad, Gabrielle takes place at the beginning of the last century and chronicles the failings of a bourgeois couple, Jean Hervey and his wife, title character Gabrielle (played by Isabelle Huppert), coming to terms for the first time with their real feelings for each other. Director Patrice Chéreau breaks down their security and replaces it with feelings of vulnerability, abandonment and betrayal, changing their world forever.
“The combination of atmospheric settings, ardent performances and painterly camerawork makes Gabrielle a magical and absorbing piece of cinema.” - Toronto Film Festival