Story of Women (1988)

Synopsis of Story of Women

The women in this story are the customers of amateur abortionist Isabelle Huppert. The time is 1941, and the place is a Nazi-occupied French town. Struggling to survive, Huppert turns to illegally terminating unwanted pregnancies for a hefty fee. As her income increases, Huppert moves her family from their grimy surroundings to a posh apartment, sharing her digs with her new friend, prostitute Marie Trintignant. Completely seduced by her affluent lifestyle, Huppert ignores her shell-shocked husband Francois Cluzet, preferring to dally with Nazi collaborator Nils Tavernier. Things take a disastrous turn after one of Huppert's "customers" dies and her disgruntled husband turns her over to the authorities. Story of Women was inspired by the real-life tale of Marie-Louise Girard, who in 1943 was executed by the Vichy Government, who'd declared abortion as a Crime Against the State because it diminished the number of potential soldiers. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Theatrical Feature Running Time:

108 mins

Director(s):

Claude Chabrol

Writer(s):

Colo Tavernier O'Hagan, Claude Chabrol

Producer(s):

Marin Karmitz

• 1988 - Los Angeles Film Critics Association - Best Foreign Film
• 1989 - National Board of Review - Best Foreign Film
• 1989 - New York Film Critics Circle - Best Foreign Film
• 1988 - Venice International Film Festival - Volpi Cup for Best Actress

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