The President’s Wife (Bernadette)
Chichester - Cinema at New Park New Park Rd, Chichester, United KingdomA biopic of Bernadette Chirac, and her attempt to restore her reputation and assert her role as first lady.
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A biopic of Bernadette Chirac, and her attempt to restore her reputation and assert her role as first lady.
In 1995 Jacques Chirac is elected President of the French Republic. When Bernadette Chirac (Catherine Deneuve) steps into the Elysée, she’s ready for the recognition she’s earned, having always worked in his shadow, and tirelessly supported her husband’s journey to the presidency. Instead, she finds herself set aside and brushed off as old-fashioned, cold, and sour-tempered. 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 by becoming a major media figure.
Léa Domenach’s directorial debut skilfully blurs the lines between fact and fiction.
"A tale of female 'empowerment', Bernadette is a chronicle of the Chirac years, with delightful gags and bright colours."
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